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Of the three conflict transformation programmes which Northern Ireland and the Border Counties have benefited from, two, the IFI and the Peace programmes, were specifically tailored for the region. Together with the INTERREG I, II and III(A) programmes, they have directly contributed over €3.25 billion to the region since 1986. While intricate
In view of the theoretical confusion and associated definitional morass surrounding conflict transformation, it is necessary to preface this book with some conceptual clarification. This will enable an appropriate assessment of conflict transformation through social and economic development, specifically through the impacts of the tools under consideration
determined by some of the transitions undergone by individuals and groups as indicated in the previous chapter. Involvement in conflict transformation work is also framed by the direction and views of the organisations and movements with which they are affiliated. Former prisoners and transformation Former prisoners have been at the core in the formulation of the new politics within
loyalties, at many levels.’ 21 European praise The European Court of Auditors (ECA) and the European Commission published reports on the IFI in 2000 and 2001, with the ECA report highlighting a number of relevant findings in terms of conflict transformation, namely that ‘the IFI pioneered the joint management and delivery of programmes
7 Everyday resistance to conflict resolution measures and opportunities for systemic conflict transformation Janel B. Galvanek and Hans J. Giessmann Introduction Initiatives and measures for conflict resolution are often met with resistance from various conflict stakeholders, often those groups and individuals whom the measures are designed to assist. Much of this resistance is labelled by the owners of such initiatives as ‘spoiler’ activity – seen as opposed to conflict resolution in general – and is therefore disregarded. However, not all resistance should be
Transforming Conflict examines lessons learned from the Northern Ireland and Border Counties conflict transformation process through social and economic development and their consequent impacts and implications for practice and policymaking, with a range of functional recommendations produced for other regions emerging from and seeking to transform violent conflict. It provides, for the first time, a comprehensive assessment of the region’s transformation activity, largely amongst grassroots actors, enabled by a number of specific funding programmes, namely the International Fund for Ireland, Peace I and II and INTERREG I, II and IIIA. These programmes have facilitated conflict transformation over more than two decades, presenting a case ripe for lesson sharing. In focusing on the politics of the socioeconomic activities that underpinned the elite negotiations of the peace process, key theoretical transformation concepts are firstly explored, followed by an examination of the social and economic context of Northern Ireland and the Border Counties. The three programmes and their impacts are then assessed before considering what policy lessons can be learned and what recommendations can be made for practice. This is underpinned by a range of semi-structured interviews and the author’s own experience as a project promoter through these programmes in the Border Counties for more than a decade.
In the social sciences, recognition is considered a means to de-escalate
conflicts and promote peaceful social interactions. This volume explores the
forms that social recognition and its withholding may take in asymmetric armed
conflicts. It discusses the short- and long-term risks and opportunities which
arise when local, state and transnational actors recognise armed non-state
actors (ANSAs), mis-recognise them or deny them recognition altogether.
The
first part of the volume contextualises the politics of recognition in the case
of ANSAs. It provides a historical overview of recognition regimes since the
Second World War and their diverging impacts on ANSAs’ recognition claims. The
second part is dedicated to original case studies, centring on specific conflict
phases and covering ANSAs from all over the world. Some examine the politics of
recognition during armed conflicts, others in conflict stalemates, and others
still in mediation and peace processes. The third part of the volume discusses
how the politics of recognition impacts practitioners’ engagement with conflict
parties, gives an outlook on policies vis-à-vis ANSAs, and sketches
trajectories for future research in the field.
The volume shows that, while
non-recognition prevents conflict transformation, the recognition of armed
non-state actors may produce counterproductive precedents and new modes of
exclusion in intra-state and transnational politics.
’ [Odd-looking war in Goma], arretsurimages.net, 21 July 2012. 7 Brabant (2011 , 2013a ). 8 See, in particular, Brabant and Verweijen (2017) . I spent a total of six months at the Life & Peace Institute (LPI), a conflict transformation NGO based in Bukavu, and three months as a consultant for the International
, S. , Pillay , A. and Turshen , M. (eds), The Aftermath: Women in Post-Conflict Transformation ( London : Zed Books ). Porter , H. ( 2016 ), After Rape: Violence, Justice, and Social Harmony in Uganda ( Cambridge
After three decades of violence, Northern Ireland has experienced unprecedented peace. It is now generally accepted that the peace accord which ended the Northern Ireland conflict, the 1998 Belfast Agreement, is an exemplar of this trend. This book examines the impact of the 1998 Agreement which halted the violence on the Northern Irish people. It covers changes in public opinion across all areas of society and politics, including elections, education, community relations and national identity. The surveys presented show that despite peace, Protestants and Catholics remain as deeply divided as ever. The book examines the development of the theory of consociationalism and how it has been woven into the intellectual debate about the nature of the Northern Ireland conflict. The role of religion in conflict transformation has emerged as an important issue in Northern Ireland. Ethnonationalism in Northern Ireland is fuelled by its multifaceted and complex nature. The constitutional position of Northern Ireland has been the topic of recurring debate since partition in 1920. The role of education in promoting social cohesion in post-conflict societies is often controversial. The book explores both the nature and extent of victimhood and the main perpetrators of the political violence. The key elements of a consociational approach include a grand coalition representing the main segments of society; proportionality in representation; community (segmental) autonomy; and mutual vetoes on key decisions. The main lesson of peace-making in Northern Ireland is that political reform has to be accompanied by social change across the society as a whole.