Search Result

Srl

Item

ID: 090321

Home thoughts from abroad: diasporas and peace-building in Northern Ireland and Sri Lanka / Cochrane, Feargal; Baser, Bahar; Swain, Ashok

Swain, Ashok	Journal Article
	0 Rating(s) & 0 Review(s)

Publication

2009.

Summary/Abstract

This article looks at the dynamics of Diaspora groups as a possible catalyst for peace-building within violent segmented societies. With the help of two case studies, Irish-America's role in Northern Ireland and Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora's role in Sri Lanka, it locates the variable impacts of Diaspora involvement in violent conflicts within their homelands. Despite their unique histories and individual complexity, both of these cases illustrate that Diasporas have a significant role to play in peace-building, are diverse rather than homogenous communities, and that they represent an important and often underutilized resource to bring negotiated settlement to violent conflicts.

Key Words

Conflict ; Sri Lanka ; Northern Ireland ; Peace Building

Links

'Full Text'

In Basket

Export

ID: 076879

Irish-America, the end of the IRA's armed struggle and the util / Cochrane, Feargal

Cochrane, Feargal	Journal Article
	0 Rating(s) & 0 Review(s)

Publication

2007.

Summary/Abstract

This article examines the changing role of Irish-America in the Northern Ireland peace process and contends that it played a pivotal role in the Provisional IRA's announcement in July 2005 that it was ending its campaign of violence. It is argued here that the IRA decision to end its campaign was influenced considerably by three separate but interrelated factors: (1) the internationalization of Northern Ireland by successive US governments beyond the limits of domestic UK politics; (2) the evolution of the Irish-American political lobby in the 1990s, from outcome-driven objectives to process-driven and attainable goals; and (3) the current leadership of the Irish republican movement has orientated itself around the changing social fabric of Irish-America, which is smaller and less cohesive than in the past. More broadly, the article demonstrates the way in which the dynamics of internal conflict can be altered by external actors via the use of `soft power' strategies, in a manner that can assist the development of a peace process.

Key Words

Armed Conflict ; United States ; Northern Ireland ; Peace Process

In Basket

Export