 |
Northern Ireland's Marching Season reaches its climax on
July 12. During the 1990s, marchers determined to follow
traditional routes through Catholic neighborhoods often drew
angry crowds causing violence to erupt in clashes with
police.
"This year," according to Elizabeth Crighton, an expert on
peacemaking in Northern Ireland, "the struggle to watch is
not between Catholics and Protestants but within Ulster
Unionism, the province's mainline Protestant political
party. Party leader David Trimble, a Nobel-prize-winning
architect of Northern Ireland's peace process, has just
survived another attempt to remove him from office. Now he
faces possible de-selection (removal as his party's
candidate) by his own constituents. What is at stake here is
Unionism's support for the Belfast Agreement (1998), which
frames the whole peace process. If Trimble goes, peace in
Northern Ireland could go with him."
Crighton, a professor of politics at Pomona College, is an
expert in the field of conflict-reduction and peace making
in divided societies, and comparative ethnic politics. She
is available for expert commentary on:
- the significance of July 12 in Northern Ireland's
political history,
- the peace process (where it stands and where it's
likely to go),
- Sinn Fein and the IRA,
- recent developments in the Ulster Unionist Party,
- British-Irish cooperation in forwarding the peace
process,
- events to watch (e.g. attempts to depose UUP leader
David Trimble, upcoming elections, appointment of a new
commission to monitor the peace process, IRA's progress in
disarming), and
- lessons relevant to other conflicts around the world.
Her most recent publications include: "Shared Sovereignty
as an Instrument of Peacemaking," in Reconfigured
Sovereignty: Multilayered Governance in the Global Age
(Thomas Ilgen, ed., forthcoming 2003/2004) and "Beyond
Neoliberalism: Peacemaking in Northern Ireland," Social
Justice, Vol. 25, No. 4, (Winter l998).
An articulate and engaging speaker, Professor Crighton is a
four-time recipient of the Pomona College Distinguished
Teaching Award, which is determined by votes of the junior
and senior classes. She can be reached at her office at
(909) 621-8781 or by e-mail at
Elizabeth.Crighton@pomona.edu. She can also be reached
through the Pomona College Public Affairs Office at (909)
621-8515.
Pomona College, one of the nation's premier liberal arts
colleges, offers a comprehensive program in the arts,
humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Founded
in 1887, itshallmarks include small classes, close
relationships between students and faculty, and a range of
opportunities for student research. |
