Independent Commissions and Contentious Issues in Post-Good Friday Agreement Northern Ireland

This book asks how independent commissions helped to overcome difficulties during the implementation phase of the Good Friday Agreement. These independent groups worked to resolve issues which threatened to derail the peace process, including the reform of policing, the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons, the monitoring of ceasefires, dealing with the past conflict, and the issue of human rights. Each chapter provides an in-depth analysis of the work of a different group finding that the commissions engaged in a broad range of activities. Drawing on the lessons of Northern Ireland the book demonstrates the importance of balancing local and international involvement, the inclusion of expertise, and giving sufficient powers to such bodies. This volume appeals to academics and researchers in a range of disciplines such as politics, peace and conflict studies, international relations, and human rights law. It is of interest to readers who are interested in the Northern Ireland peace process and those seeking to understand how third parties can assist in the implementation of peace agreements.

“This richly original account of the role of independent commissions in resolving some of the most difficult and controversial issues in the Northern Ireland Peace Process provides an important and timely analysis that greatly enhances our understanding of the role of such commissions. It highlights the way in which they facilitate ongoing involvement by the international community in the implementation of peace settlements and outlines the way in which they play a mediating role between fiercely opposed views. This much-needed study helps to set a new agenda for research on this important but neglected aspect of peace processes.” (Niall O’Dochartaigh, National University of Ireland Galway, Republic of Ireland)

“Walsh offers an empirically extremely rich, theoretically well-grounded study on a very significant aspect of the implementation of the 1998 Northern Ireland Agreement. Her conclusions areinsightful and have relevance for conflict settlement processes far beyond Northern Ireland.” (Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham, UK)

“Walsh has produced the best book to date on the role of international commissions in the Northern Ireland peace process. She offers an important comparison of the different commissions and their role especially in implementing the Good Friday or Belfast Agreement. She identifies how they were critical in helping to overcome issues not resolved in the Agreement itself and helped overcome the key problems in implementing The Agreement. They did this by ensuring that the identity and expertise of the members of the commissions provided these third parties legitimacy as mediators on difficult issues like police reform and decommissioning. Her analysis is not important just for the conflict in Northern Ireland but is instructive more generally on the role of third parties in international conflicts.” (Timothy J. White, Professor of Political Science, Xavier University, USA)

Dr Walsh is currently an Irish Research Council-Marie Curie Elevate post-doctoral fellow at Dublin City University, UK. This fellowship examines the role of territorial self-governance in conflict management. Her research interests also include the creation of innovative institutions to manage conflict, the implementation of peace agreements and the role on international actors in facilitating peace agreements.