Northern Ireland

For almost three decades the troubles in Northern Ireland raged,claiming over 3,600 lives, with civilians accounting for almosthalf the fatalities. In this book, Jonathan Tonge examines thereasons for that conflict; the motivations of the groups involvedand explores the prospects for a post-conflict Northern Ireland.
The book:
* * assesses the motivations and campaigns of the IRA, UVF and UDAand other armed groups
* discusses what each paramilitary group achieved throughviolence
* analyses the continuing controversies surrounding the NorthernIrelands dirty war
* outlines the extent of collusion between British securityforces and loyalist paramilitaries
* explores how governments and political parties shaped the peaceprocess
* scrutinizes prospects for the political development of unionismand nationalism within a devolved power sharing framework
* examines whether the sectarian divide is strengthening orweakening
* concludes by assessing whether Northern Ireland can movepermanently from violence and instability to become a normalpeaceful polity, in which the war is merely a historic relic
Written by an acknowledged expert in the field, Northern Irelandcombines incisive analysis, original research and a lucid style toprovide an important assessment of what has been described as an800 year old problem.