Northern Ireland

The IRA declared a cease-fire on July 19, 1997 to become effective July 20. At the end of August, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced her finding that the cease-fire was being observed, allowing Sinn Fein, the political party closely identified with the IRA, entry into negotiations on Northern Ireland's political future. The July 20 cease-fire ended a 17-month terrorism campaign and led to the opening of inclusive political talks in September. Following the cease-fire there was a marked decrease of sectarian violence but not a total cessation. Police believe that paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland were responsible for 22 deaths, 251 shootings, and 78 bombings during 1997 (http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/ira.htm). Both republican and loyalist paramilitary groups continued to engage in vigilante attacks, although there was a decrease in the number of such incidents even before the July cease-fire.

In this Irish war we have two sides, but this can also be reflected in the two sides within the Sniper himself. The Sniper seems experienced yet amateur, cold yet emotional, lusting for war yet hating it, self-assured yet vulnerable, and clear-minded yet mad; he is a living contradiction.

Throughout this course thus far we have generically discussed the various models of mediation(in particular facilitative),skills and tasks needed by a mediator to conduct a successful mediation. The facilitative approach we have been studying, via theory and in-class exercises has afford us some great insight into mediating into a variety of domestic conflicts from family to business disputes.However,there is a whole other subfield in mediation ,which we have not discussed and that is international mediation. International mediation also has a variety of forms. Cases for mediation can range from a conflict between two states, an ethnic conflict that, has bought violence within a particular state, or perhaps a business dispute between

After the first world war the leaders of europe came together to discuss the boundaries of europe. British rule decided to separate ireland into two sides. North Ireland was created when the british government of Ireland Act in 1920 divided Ireland into two areas; the Irish Free State and the Northern Ireland Roman Catholics, who made up around one-third of the population of Northern Ireland, were largely opposed to the separation. The British took over , but only after many revolts and riots against them from the people of ireland. In 1969 the IRA (Irish Republican Army) was formed. They were a Catholic Irish nationalist group that used guerrilla tactics like bombings and assassinations to oppose British rule and oppression in Ireland. Their main goal was to fight the british that took over their home. The IRA would Fight using guerilla and terrorist tactics including bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, punishment beatings, extortion, smuggling, and robberies. But over time the IRA became more of a dangerous militia then patriots defending their home.

The Big Four: And Others of the Peace Conference, by Robert Lansing offers a firsthand perspective on what occurred during the Peace talks following the First World War. Robert Lansing primarily concentrates on the four biggest players during the Peace talks, Georges Clemenceau, Woodrow Wilson, David Lloyd George, and Vittorio E. Orlando. Lansing’s report of these four men compromised three fourths of the entire book, leaving the rest of the book to the representatives of other States, such as Eleftherios Venizelos, Emir Feisul, Louis Botha, and Ignace Jan Paderewski. One of the most significant features of this book is that it offers a different perspective of the Peace talks because it is a look at how people viewed these Statesmen and their actions at that time.

Harding Coolidge during his presidency came up with a Kellogg-Briand Pact. The message of this act was for the an international agreement, they would sign this meaning that “any dispute or conflicts of whatever nature or of whatever origin they may be, which may arise among them. Any country failing to keep this international treaty would, “be denied of the benefits of this treaty”. This treaty was originally made by the United States and three countries signed it to start this international treaty. Germany, France, and the US all agreed and signed this treaty outlawing any kind of dispute between any countries. This treaty was signed on August 27th, 1928, and many other countries soon followed their footsteps and signed the document. In the end a total of sixty two countries signed this document all in the course of one year. In the United states they brought this to the senate, it was a resounding yes by the senate of eighty-five to one! The effect of this treaty was overwhelming. The treaty was overall working and no big wars had erupted since that treaty, civil wars were still happening in the mid east though. However this treaty did not stop the militarism all the countries are used to having. And a historian Harold Josephson said,”this made no immediate contribution to peace throughout the countries and did not live up to the aim of stopping war and

Smith’s (2015) evaluation of the Toronto as the “Belfast of Canada” is important because it defines the existence of a strong pro-Ulster faction of Irish Protestant that received large-scale support from the British government to countermand the rise of Irish Catholicism in the city. In this manner, the term, “The Belfast of Canada”, defines the undercurrent of hostility and social barriers that created such political and social tensions for Irish Catholics in Toronto in the 1860s. This posthumous term defined the existing struggles between Protestant and Catholic Irish tat would be historically compared to the struggles in Belfast:

“We cannot be separated in interest or divided in purpose,” declared President Woodrow Wilson, “We (must) stand together until the end” (Wilson 2). These powerful proclamations were voiced by Wilson in one of his most famous addresses, the “Fourteen Points” on January 8, 1918. As the world was in the midst of the Great War, violence, starvation, and the beginnings of communism plagued Europe. The question that kept lingering in the minds of everyone affected was what was to come in the future. President Wilson wanted to offer relief to the crumbling world. He realized that if war was to end, and lasting peace was to work, “the victors must swallow their pride and offer relief to the vanquished” (Lodge 1). In an effort to get this notion going, he outlined a plan that sought to “make the world fit and safe to live in” (Lodge 1). It included everything from freedom of the seas to creating an international organization that would help mediate any upcoming disputes between member nations. Wilson presented his innovative formula with a confident, high moral tone to his European counterparts using logical and ethical appeal, as well as repetition, to accentuate a thesis that carried a theme of freedom and democracy throughout. In the long run, he could not convince his opposition entirely, however, his work established a foundation for today’s system of peaceful negotiating.

Violence, terror, suffering and death. The conflict that has been burning in Northern Ireland seems to be an unstoppable battle and it has flooded over the land of Northern Ireland. The struggle for power and the persistence of greed have fueled the raging fires of the opposing groups. The conflict in Northern Ireland has been discussed continually over the past few decades. Ever since the beginning of the “Troubles,” organizations have been scavenging to find a plan that will cease the violence. Throughout my research for this project, the questions of what are the main sources of conflict in Northern Ireland and why have they continued today guided me to many fascinating pieces of evidence that

The first part of the Good Friday Agreement in that Northern Ireland would remain part of the United Kingdom. Although this does not mean that a united Ireland could not happen, for it as the determination of the people of Northern Ireland to decide whether or not the wish to become a united Ireland. In order to accomplish this part of the agreement would have to settle the conflict of the territory claim in the Northern Ireland Constitution of article two and three. To settle this conflict Northern Ireland would eliminate all both of these articles. The second condition of the agreement was that political rights were not based on religion, which would cause a political reform. The need for the reform was that Catholics were considered second class citizens and would have no say in political decisions. The last major part of the Good Friday Agreement was that the Northern Ireland would have their own government that would have members of both Southern Ireland and England along with people that are from Northern

The campaign had ultimately led to the creation of the Act of Ireland of 1920. This created a twenty-six county Irish Free State and six counties in Northern Ireland (Filardo-Llamas, 2013; White, 1989). This act also allowed Northern Ireland to choose whether or not to stay with Britain or become part of the Free State. Northern Ireland ultimately decided to stay with the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland created its own parliament in Stormont in Belfast (Bosi, 2012; Filardo-Llamas, 2013). The Free State was mostly inhabited by Catholics while Northern Ireland was populated mostly by Protestants (White, 1989). But the road to have a Free State did come at a price. Over 7,500 people lost their lives or were wounded between 1917 and 1923. Many lost their homes, family and friends (Hart,

The troubles emerged as the result of several years of the escalating incidents between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. The troubles have been protracted and costly in every sense of the world. From the first civil rights marches in 1968 till the signing of The Good Friday Agreement in 1998, 3,500 people died and over 35,000 were injured in Northern Ireland as the direct result of the aggressive violence , rebellion, bombings, murders, and terror tactics. The Catholic and Protestant troubles and conflicts had a significantly impact on Ireland. This serious issue had impacted the lives of individuals and families that took place or witness the gruesome events that the troubles had causes, the political change and reform of

Throughout history, negotiation has been a powerful tool used by world leaders to avoid violence and solve conflict. When negotiation succeeds all parties can feel that that have achieved their goals and met their expectations, but when negotiations go awry countries and relationships can be damaged beyond repair. The Munich Agreement of 1938 is a primary example of this type of failure, which was one of the catalysts to the start World War II and Czechoslovakia’s loss of independence. The Czech people were greatly overlooked during this agreement process, which still in some instances affects the country today. The 1930s were a challenging time for Europe and the powers within it due to the aftermath of WWI and the worldwide economic

The Successes and Failures of the Treaty of Versailles in Addressing the Causes of Conflict and Restoring Peace and Normality

Problems that Need to be Overcome If Current Peace Talks in Northern Ireland are to Succeed