Peace Process in Ireland/Processus de paix en Irlande

Résumé du document

L'essai relate les différentes étapes du processus de paix en Irlande après la création de l'Armée républicaine irlandaise (IRA), luttant par les armes contre la présence britannique en Irlande. Des troubles causés en Irlande du Nord et en République d'Irlande dans les années 1970 aux répressions britanniques des années 80, les différents acteurs du conflit, que ce soit des Etats, des groupes armés ou des partis politiques sont analysés sous le prisme de leur volonté de créer une paix durable en Irlande.

Extraits

[...] This led to counter demonstrations by Protestant and growing public disorder. London tried to maintain peace through force starting from the deployment of the British Army (1969). Afterwards, in 1971, London stated the internment without trial and the direct rule (1972). Both these decisions made sense at the time because London was afraid that Unionists would randomly kill Nationalists, civilians or members of the IRA. The final escalation of the conflict was on 30 January 1972, known as Bloody Sunday, a mass sh [HYPERLINK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_shooting]ooting of Nationalist civilians by the British army during a peaceful protest march. [...]

[...] This process was more successful in Northern Ireland. The native population there was Catholic, and felt resentment for the steal of their lands, whereas the settlers were Protestant. While Irish nationalism spread throughout Ireland, the industrial north-east remained resolutely tied to the British empire as the predominant source of wealth and as the channel of access to the outside world. Religion had long ceased to be the issue of conflict between these two communities but continued to serve as the badge of identity for both sides. [...]

[...] However, with Brexit and the fear of "hard" border, there was a possibility of renewal of the conflict. Anyways, this situation was not reached since according to the final Brexit withdrawal agreement a compromise about the border has been made. [...]

[...] Calls for IRA decommissioning increased even further after the September terrorist attacks on the United States.On October 23, after Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams publicly called for IRA decommissioning, the IRA announced that it had put arms "beyond use" to "save the peace process." After an upsurge in violence in the summer of 2002, London once again suspended Belfast's devolved government and reinstated direct rule on October 14,. Following the suspension of the devolved government, London and Dublin led talks with Northern Ireland's political parties to try to find a way forward, but these remained stalemated till 2006. In an attempt to break the stalemate, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and former Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern announced an all-party meeting in Scotland. On October they put forth the "St. [...]

[...] For its part, the Irish government accepted that unity was `best achieved' with the consent of the people of Northern Ireland, and not through arms struggle. This time the discussions were constructive. The workings of the Agreement were suspended to facilitate involvement by unionists, and they showed an increased flexibility in their position. They conceded, in principle, power-sharing in a devolved Northern Ireland assembly and an Irish dimension. They also proposed the creation of North-South bodies, based on reciprocal respect and equity between a Northern Ireland assembly and the Republic one. [...]