Conflict resolution in asymmetric and symmetric situations: Northern Ireland as a case study

McAuley, James W.; McGlynn, Catherine; Tonge, Jonathan

doi:10.1080/17467580802284712

Cited by 8 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The asymmetries of opportunity evident during the conflict have also been visible in peace (McAuley et al , 2008). Whereas republicans were conflicted by a considerable range of state forces during the Troubles, their superior political and organisation development, compared to loyalists, allowed a more fruitful transition to peace.…”

Section: Community Leadershipmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Internal community empowerment, improved cross-community relationships and often cordial personal relations between former enemies have contributed to the defusing of intercommunity hostility, particularly in regard to violence at sectarian interfaces. These improvements are nonetheless juxtaposed with continuing hostility towards the ideology articulated by the rival community (Tonge et al , 2008). Cross-community thawing and local economic rejuvenation should not be conflated with fundamental political reappraisal.…”

Section: Community Leadershipmentioning

confidence: 98%

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So Why Did the Guns Fall Silent? How Interplay, not Stalemate, Explains the Northern Ireland Peace Process

Tonge

Shirlow

McAuley

2011

Irish Political Studies

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A BSTRACT The precise rationale for, and timing of, the Northern Ireland peace process of the 1990s and beyond, which developed after more than two decades of conflict, has yet to be fully explained. It has been a common assumption that it arose from a stalemate involving the Irish Republican Army (IRA), the 'regular' pro-state forces of the British Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary and the 'irregular/ultra' pro-state loyalist paramilitary groups of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Ulster Defence Association (UDA). Under this interpretation, military/paramilitary deadlock led to ripeness for peace, amid reappraisals by all parties to the conflict of the utility of violence accompanied by reinterpretations of earlier political orthodoxies. The IRA could not remove the British sovereign claim to Northern Ireland; British forces could not militarily defeat the IRA and loyalists and republicans were engaged in a futile inter-communal sectarian war. This stalemate thesis has obvious attraction in explaining why a seemingly intractable war finally subsided, but is less convincing when subject to empirical testing among republican and loyalist participants in the conflict. This article moves away from 'top-down' generalist narratives of the onset of peace, which tend to argue the stalemate thesis, to assess 'bottom-up' interpretations from the actual combatants as to why they ceased fighting. It suggests an asymmetry, rather than mutuality, of perception that there was 'military' cessation by the armed non-state groups, with neither republican nor loyalist interpretations grounded in notions of stalemate. The article concludes by urging a wider consideration of the important and persistent interplay of the military and political in conflicts such as Northern Ireland.

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Section: Community Leadershipmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Community Leadershipmentioning

confidence: 98%

So Why Did the Guns Fall Silent? How Interplay, not Stalemate, Explains the Northern Ireland Peace Process

Tonge

Shirlow

McAuley

2011

Irish Political Studies

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“…En cambio, en los conflictos asimétricos, como el caso chileno, la mayor parte de las víctimas corresponde a una de las partes en conflicto, mientras que la responsabilidad por la victimización recae principalmente en la otra parte. Investigaciones recientes indican que en conflictos asimétricos pueden surgir diferentes necesidades intergrupales (Manzi & González, 2007;McAuley, McGlynn & Tonge, 2008;Noor, Shnabel, Halabi & Nadler, 2012). A menudo los grupos victimizados buscarán recuperar su poder y control, los cuales se vieron disminuidos debido a su rol de víctimas durante el conflicto.…”

Section: Modelo Conceptualunclassified

“…La identidad endogrupal promueve, como ha sido bien documentado por la teoría de la identidad social (Tajfel & Turner, 1986), la tendencia a la diferenciación entre grupos y, cuando se agregan condiciones como las presentes en contextos conflictivos (Ashmore et al, 2001;Brewer, 1999;González et al, 2011;McAuley et al, 2008;Noor et al, 2012), puede llevar al rechazo y violencia hacia el exogrupo. Por otra parte, la invocación de una identidad superior, en la que los grupos en conflicto pueden reconocer aspectos comunes que atenúen sus diferencias y disensos, también mostró un rol al promover actitudes positivas hacia el exogrupo, especialmente en la disposición a perdonar.…”

Section: Conclusionesunclassified

Identidad Social y Emociones Intergrupales: Antecedentes de las Actitudes de Perdón y Reparación Política en Chile

2013

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En el contexto de los procesos de reconciliación política en Chile, el estudio conceptualiza y somete a prueba un modelo mediacional que examina el patrón de relaciones que se establece entre identidades sociales (nacional y política) y actitudes de perdón y reparación política, mediado por emociones intergrupales (rabia, empatía, confianza, culpa y vergüenza). El modelo predice que las identidades sociales se asocian a las actitudes de perdón y reparación a través de las emociones propuestas. Implementando un muestreo intencional, 225 alumnos de 6 universidades de Santiago que se identifican con la derecha y 264 con la izquierda participaron voluntariamente en el estudio. Hubo un apoyo parcial al rol mediador de las emociones intergrupales en la relación entre identidad social y actitudes de reparación y perdón, pues se constató un patrón diferente según el grupo: en el de izquierda la empatía y la rabia fueron mediadores significativos del perdón; en el de derecha solo la empatía resultó ser un mediador significativo para la reparación y perdón intergrupal. Se discuten las implicancias teóricas y prácticas de estos hallazgos.Palabras clave: perdón intergrupal, reparación política, emociones intergrupales, identidades socialesIn the context of the Chilean political reconciliation process, the present study conceptualizes and tests a meditational model that examines the relational pattern established between social identities (national and political) and attitudes toward political forgiveness and reparation, mediated by intergroup emotional factors (anger, empathy, trust, guilt, and shame). The model predicts that social identities are associated with forgiveness and reparation through the proposed emotional processes. A purposive sample of 225 students of 6 universities of Santiago who identify with the right and 264 who identify with the left voluntarily took part in the study. The results partially supported the predicted meditational role played by intergroup emotions in the relationship of identities with forgiveness and reparation, with different relational patterns being observed in the left and right-wing groups. In the former, empathy and anger were significant mediators of forgiveness, while in the latter, only empathy was a significant mediator of intergroup forgiveness and reparation. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are addressed.

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“…In 2011 the number of conflicts increased to 37 of which 36 were within states (Themner and Wallensteen 2012: 566). Many of these conflicts are asymmetric, in that the conflict exists between the Government or state authority and between smaller groups or factions within their borders who have considerably fewer resources at their disposal (McAuleya, McGlynna and Tonge 2008). In addition, a proportion of these conflicts are split along different ethnic, nationalistic and religious lines giving the basis for a protracted social conflict, whereby there are continued outbreaks of violence over a sustained period of time (Azar and Moon 1986: 394).…”

Section: Conflict Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Peacebuilding for faith-based development organisations: informing theory and practice

Nicholas¹

2014

Development in Practice

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This thesis examines the hypothesis that Faith-Based Development Organisations are best placed to engage with faith actors in post-conflict settings where faith has been a component of the violent conflict, but Faith-Based Development Organisations lack the theoretical perspective to engage in this activity effectively.This work undertakes a critical review of current literature with regard to conflict sensitive development activity and how this informs current theory and practice of faith-based engagement in post conflict settings and examines the work of two Faith-Based Organisations working in Acholiland, Northern Uganda with regard to their engagement with faith congregations in a post-conflict setting and in the context of other Faith-Based NGO activity.Through the use of field interviews and an analysis of project activities using a faith-focussed questionnaire, peace and conflict impact assessments and most significant change stories this research has posited a theoretical framework for faith-based peacebuilding activity by faith-based development organisations. I then identify how this theoretical framework could be used in practice development for inter-faith and faith-based peacebuilding activities. The research highlights an ethical approach in peacebuilding activities which underpins the importance of partnership, humility and the incorporation of local 'theories of change' in project design. The research has implications for international NGOs whether secular or faith-based, and identifies the need of closer partnership working with local NGOs whose personal experience of living and working in a faith context is an under-utilised resource.

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Conflict resolution in asymmetric and symmetric situations: Northern Ireland as a case study

Cited by 8 publications

References 34 publications

So Why Did the Guns Fall Silent? How Interplay, not Stalemate, Explains the Northern Ireland Peace Process

So Why Did the Guns Fall Silent? How Interplay, not Stalemate, Explains the Northern Ireland Peace Process

Identidad Social y Emociones Intergrupales: Antecedentes de las Actitudes de Perdón y Reparación Política en Chile

Peacebuilding for faith-based development organisations: informing theory and practice

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