I have produced a new discussion paper entitled "New Trajectories for Peace in Northern Ireland".
This discussion paper outlines new trajectories for peacebuilding in Northern Ireland, assessing the current context and its key challenges. It argues that the government-level model is ill-conceived, fragmented and conceptually deficient: a thin model of peace that favours coexistence and negative peace, largely accepts division and fosters only small pockets of integration. It rests on an insufficiently understood focus on economic development—“peace by prosperity”—and an uncritical faith in growth that normalises division and inequality. The paper calls for a transformative approach to sustainable peace, grounded in inclusion, renewed civic energy and political leadership no longer rewarded for maintaining social division or presenting one-dimensional economic development as a panacea. This requires new thinking about peace, led by younger voices, to address the past and respond to challenges including ongoing division and sectarianism, climate change, mental health, education, human rights, gender and LGBTQI+ rights, and racism. The focus should be on developing transferable, politically informed capacities for social transformation rather than relying on narrow conceptions of peace and a limited repertoire of methods.
Comments and thoughts are welcome.
