Learning from Northern Ireland? the Uses and Abuses of the Irish ‘Model’

Abstract

This article examines the increasing use of Northern Ireland as a ‘model’ for resolving conflicts. It seeks to identify what may constitute an Irish ‘model’ and to examine it in relation to three key aspects of existing conflict resolution theory: the timings of peace processes, the role of third parties and how to deal with ‘spoilers’. The article argues that the existing theory is currently ill-matched to both the Northern Ireland case and the ‘model’ that some have sought to extrapolate from it. It stresses the need to examine the Northern Ireland case in context if we are to learn any lessons from it that may be of use in other conflict resolution attempts.