From War to Peace: Northern Ireland Conflict and the Peace Process

Abstract

This article analyzes the reasons ethnic violence erupted in Northern Ireland at the end of the 1960s. Based on semi-structured interviews with civil society workers, local deputies and residents in Northern Ireland that took place during August-September 2014, it argues that in the Northern Ireland case, the cleavage structure and political competition which overlapped with bipolar ethnic divide rendered political parties incapable to appeal to ethnic diversity within Northern Irish society.

Keywords

Ethnic Conflict, Ethnic Polarization, Cleavage Structure, Peace Negotiations, Northern Ireland

Citation

Borsuk, İmren, “From War to Peace: Northern Ireland Conflict and the Peace Process”, International Relations, Volume 13, No. 50, 2016, pp. 41-57.

Affiliations

• İmren BORSUK, Dr., Researcher, Koç University & Queen’s University of Belfast