In the wake of the UN decision to recognise the state of Palestine (albeit not as a full member of the UN) it seems timely to return to the question of parallels between the peace process here and in the Middle East, most recently highlighted on Slugger in relation to remarks by former US envoy Richard Haass.
The decision by many firm allies of the US to support the Palestinian bid despite US opposition was one of the most striking aspects of the vote. Many of these states clearly believed that it was important to produce pressure for compromise on the part of the stronger party in this case (Israel) by strengthening the weaker party (Palestine). It also served the purpose of demonstrating to Palestinians that political progress by peaceful means is possible.
At a symposium on Negotiating Peace in Galway last November former senior MI6 officer Michael Oatley drew some striking parallels between the conflicts in Ireland and the Middle-East (Video here: sound quality improves after the first couple of minutes).
His remarks are particularly significant because of the pivotal role he played in back-channel communication between the British government and the Provisional Republican leadership for many years. They reflect too his long experience at the highest levels of the British Intelligence system, as former MI6 Controller for the Middle East, Controller for Europe and subsequently MI6 Director of Counter-terrorism.
The occasion for his talk was the donation of the papers of intermediary Brendan Duddy to the National University of Ireland Galway. Oatley spoke primarily about his work with Brendan Duddy and his personal experience in the North but he also drew direct parallels with the contemporary conflict in Israel/Palestine.
Also speaking at the symposium were former senior Irish diplomat Seán Ó hUiginn who played a crucial central role in the peace process (video) and Professor Paul Arthur, former Professor of Politics at the University of Ulster (video). All three speakers elaborated on their remarks in the Q and A session that followed.
Niall Ó Dochartaigh is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Political Science and Sociology at the National University of Ireland Galway. He is a founding convener of the Standing Group on Political Violence of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) and the Specialist Group on Peace and Conflict of the Political Studies Association of Ireland (PSAI). He has published extensively on the Northern Ireland conflict and on mediation, peace negotiations and territoriality. He is currently completing a monograph on the negotiating relationship between the British state and the IRA during the Northern Ireland conflict. Recent publications include:
Bosi, Lorenzo, Niall Ó Dochartaigh & Daniela Pisoiu (eds) (2015) Political Violence in Context: Time, Space and Milieu. Colchester: ECPR Press.
Ó Dochartaigh, Niall (2016) ‘Northern Ireland since 1920’. In Richard Bourke and Ian McBride (eds) Princeton History of Modern Ireland. Princeton: Princeton University Press, pp.141-67.
Ó Dochartaigh, Niall (2015) ‘The Longest Negotiation: British Policy, IRA Strategy and the Making of the Northern Ireland Peace Settlement’. Political Studies, 63 (1), 202-220.
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