David E. Schmitt

The US War on Terrorism and its Impact on the Politics of Accommodation in Northern Ireland

This chapter will build on the analysis of Farrington’s previous chapter by focusing on the impact of the American War on Terrorism from the time of the 11 September 2001 attack on the United States through the US-led attack on Iraq in 2003 and subsequent developments through the summer of 2006.1 Of particular concern will be the impact of these events on the IRA and Sinn Fein, the impact on American—British relations, the impact on Unionists within Northern Ireland and the overall consequences for the ongoing efforts to find enduring accommodations. The term ‘War on Terrorism’ refers to the overall plans, strategies and policies of the Bush Administration, including the attack on Iraq, to combat the threat of violence from the Al Qaeda ideological movement, a loosely affiliated or Al Qaeda-inspired group of organisations that seek through violent terrorist attacks to force the United States and Western powers out of Muslim politics and society. The Al Qaeda movement and organisations, of course, have many subgoals, including the establishment of fundamentalist Islamic republics. It should be emphasised that the Muslim religion itself stresses values radically different from terrorism. It should also be noted that many question the legal and ethical basis of specific components of the Bush administration’s policies as well as their effectiveness. Most importantly, there is substantial disagreement both within the United States and abroad about the wisdom of the decision to attack Iraq.

Ireland at the polls, 1981, 1982, and 1987 : a study of four general elections

Ireland at the Polls, 1981, 1982, and 1987: A Study of four General Elections is another in the series of national election studies prepared by the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI). Books in the series include volumes on some thirty national democratic elections around the world. Distinguished foreign and American scholars have contributed to the studies.

Ireland at the Polls: 1981, 1982, and 1987: A Study of Four General Elections . Edited by Penniman Howard R. and Farrell Brian. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1987. 275p.

Ireland at the Polls, 1981, 1982, and 1987: A Study of four General Elections is another in the series of national election studies prepared by the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI). Books in the series include volumes on some thirty national democratic elections around the world. Distinguished foreign and American scholars have contributed to the studies.

52.50 cloth,

Ireland at the Polls, 1981, 1982, and 1987: A Study of four General Elections is another in the series of national election studies prepared by the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI). Books in the series include volumes on some thirty national democratic elections around the world. Distinguished foreign and American scholars have contributed to the studies.

17.50 paper.

Abstract Northern Ireland represents one of the clearest and most intractable instances of bicommunal conflict in the contemporary world. This paper analyzes the conflict from the standpoint of efforts to end violence through specific strategies to achieve accommodation. Law enforcement and anti‐discrimination reforms as well as attempts to achieve representative political institutions are discussed. The New Ireland Forum Report and the Anglo‐Irish Agreement of November 1985 are considered in the context of their potential contribution to accommodation and political stability.