Irish-America, the end of the IRA's Armed Struggle and the Utility of 'Soft Power'.

Cochrane, Feargal E. (2007) Irish-America, the end of the IRA's Armed Struggle and the Utility of 'Soft Power'. Journal of Peace Research, 44 (2). pp. 215-231. ISSN 1460-3578

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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.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Journal of Peace Research
Additional Information:
RAE_import_type : Journal article RAE_uoa_type : Politics and International Studies
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/researchoutput/libraryofcongress/ja
Subjects:
?? POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSSAFETY RESEARCHSOCIOLOGY AND POLITICAL SCIENCEJA POLITICAL SCIENCE (GENERAL) ??
ID Code:
3187
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
26 Mar 2008 09:41
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
20 Sep 2023 00:04