Hiccups in a "process"

Yet another chapter in the process of peace in Northern Ireland. This week it came out like a bombshell in the newspapers that letters had been given to a significant number of paramilitaries wanted for accusations of murders and actions (many going back 20-30 years) by the British government. Many of these individuals have been on the run outside of the country. Much of this came to light in a particular court case of late that fell through on the technicality of one of these letters which essentially granted Queen's amnesty. The outrage has been significant, to the extent that yesterday the first minister, Peter Robinson threatened to resign if the Prime Minister didn't launch an inquiry. Such a resignation would have triggered an election, and while interesting as a political exercise, would have wrecked havoc with an already delicate political landscape. Today Prime Minister Cameron announced the inquiry, so presumably the First Minister is safe from carrying out his threat. Which threat is no real surprise...there is a paranoia on the part of a particular segment of the Northern Irish population who are always looking for signs of the British willing to 'sell them down the river.'

The issue of what to do with those who carried out killings in the name of political expediency (whether Loyalist, Nationalist or Security Force alike) has been an ongoing problem, and one which is common to any country destabilized by insurgency/revolution/independence movements. There are many versions of history here, narratives which depend on the community one comes from. Freedom fighters. Murderers. Victims. The term varies, and no one has yet been able to figure out the best way to come to grips with the legacy of the past. Unlike South Africa and several other situations, no truth commission has yet been successfully launched. There have been some smaller commissions focusing on individual instances (such as Bloody Sunday) which have had some resolution, but for the most part, nothing on a wider scale. A part of the Haas talks at the end of last year sought to broach the possibility of such a larger commission, but was met with large scale resistance and eventually had to be set aside.

There is much pain that exists to this day, and much fear. Yet, risks have had to be taken to move things along, such as the part of the 1998 peace accords that resulted in prisoner releases that effected both communities. These risks, in the name of peace, have for the most part been successful. Justice was sacrificed to lay to rest vengeance, with the recognition that in conflicts such as that went on during the Troubles, there are no innocents. All are victims by time and circumstance, and each story is as valid and tragic as the other. Yes, there may be outrage, and much political posturing is being made of this...but perhaps this is an important step needed to be taken to continue to move things down the path. Where that path may lead is anyone's guess.

Everyone, including myself at times, seems to forget that the peace process in Northern Ireland is just that: a process. A delicate process. A struggling process. A hopeless process. A hopeful process. Each citizen of Northern Ireland sees this process in a different light, with different adjectives reflecting their outlook on life and their experiences. Perhaps I'm just an optimist, and maybe that's my prerogative as an outsider...yet I firmly believe that Northern Ireland is on a track to success. Hiccups such as the ones over the past year and the one in the past few days are to be expected. Smooth sailing is not realistic, and history tells us to expect otherwise. Even the experiment of 1776 has had many problems and took decades (if not a century!) to define itself and its institutions. Rome, and certainly not Washington, was not born in a day...and neither will Northern Ireland!