A form of peace has been constructed in Northern Ireland, a peace that today not only seems to be holding but according to the commentariat, contains all sorts of meaningful lessons for other deeply divided societies at war with themselves.
This report asks what we can learn from the history of peacebuilding in Northern Ireland, and critically assesses the applicability of the Northern Irish experience to contemporary counter-terrorism policy.
This Special Report was supported by the Aiery Neave Trust and the LSE Annaul Fund.
John Bewis Lecturer in War Studies and Deputy Director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence, King’s College London. His most recent book is Talking to Terrorists: Making Peace in Northern Ireland and the Basque Country (2009), co-written with Martyn Frampton and Iñigo Gurruchaga.
Richard Englishis Professor of Politics and Director of the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence, University of St Andrews. He is the author of Terrorism: How to Respond (2009), Irish Freedom: The History of Nationalism in Ireland (2006), and Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA (2003).
Adrian Guelkeis Professor of Comparative Politics and Director of Research (International Politics and Ethnic Conflict), Queen’s University Belfast. He is the author of Terrorism and Global Disorder: Political Violence in the Contemporary World (2006), and editor of The Challenges of Ethno-Nationalism: Case Studies in Identity Politics (2010).
Roger Macgintyis Reader at the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, School of International Relations, University of St Andrews. He is the author of International Peacebuilding and Local Resistance: Hybrid forms of peace (2011), and co-editor of The Liberal Peace and Post-war Reconstruction (2009).
Martin Manserghis a historian and Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was Teachta Dála (TD) for the Tipperary South constituency (2007-2011) and elected senator (2002-2007). He holds a PhD in History from Oxford. He is the author of The Legacy of History (2010).
Jonathan Powellis member of the LSE IDEAS Advisory Board. He was Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Tony Blair (1997-2007). His most recent books are The New Machiavelli: How to Wield Power in the Modern World (2010), and Great Hatred, Little Room: Making Peace in Northern Ireland (2008).
