Great Hatred, Little Room: Making Peace in Northern Ireland |
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Jonathan Powell
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Pages: 352 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 1847920322
Pub: The Bodley Head Ltd
Pub date: 2008-03-20
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 3094
Reader Reviews:
Clear and present diplomacy (0/0 people found this helpful)
I don't think I would have bought this book but when it was given to me as a present (!) I peeked into it, thinking I'd probably take as long to read it as did the eventual outcome of the peace process.
Not at all. Although the actual process is tedious, the author manages to provide a very readable account of the long and laborious road that seems of necessity to be the only way of settling an horrendous problem.
Recommended if you want to learn a lot at very little cost to your temperament!
Behind the Curtain (0/0 people found this helpful)
The settlement of Northern Ireland's grinding conflict owes a lot to demographics; the old protagonists on both sides were tired and looking for a way out before the new generation took over. However it did take a new approach from the British and Irish governments to shift the logjam. Powell's book is well-written and drags laboriously through meeting after meeting that ended in failure as promises made in private were repudiated in public. He leaves many questions unanswered such as the secret information he was getting from inside the IRA that must have helped him evaluate what he was hearing from Adams and McGuinness. The different styles of the blunt but obdurate Unionists and ambiguous, articulate Republicans is fascinating. Powell drops frequent hints that he would like to take his undoubted skills to other areas of conflict but it was his innate understanding of the psychology of the British tribes that made him so effective as a negotiator. Human conflicts can only be resolved by understanding that the enemy is fundamentally acting in good faith. This is a very good book.
Very comprehensive, without being heavy going (2/2 people found this helpful)
As someone who bought this book to learn more about the diplomacy behind the northern ireland agreement, I found it both comprehensive and easy to understand. Jonathan Powell delievers a very unbiased account, with some interesting insights into what a massive uphill struggle conflict resolution is. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in british or irish politics, whether you are an academic or a layman like me!!
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Books -> Subjects -> History -> Archaeology
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