Penn Rhodeen

The story of the process toward peace in Northern Ireland, centering former Congressman (D-CT) Bruce Morrison, who worked with other independent American citizens to help the peace process forward by talking to those on all sides: nationalists, republicans, unionists, and loyalists, as well as those in government (UK, Ireland, US). For those looking for a concise history of the area, see chapter 4, "The Troubles: 800 Years in the Making."

Foreword by Bill Clinton. Contains a useful "cast of characters" and glossary, as well as an index and author's note. A timeline would have been helpful, as well.

Irish Times review: https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/peacerunner-by-penn-rhodeen-1.2788580

Quotes/notes

Morrison cites the [Chris] McGimpsey [UUP] story as evidence that life is cumulative, meaning that doing a good thing might pay off later in some completely unanticipated way. [McGimpsey convinced UUP leaders to meet with the unofficial peacekeepers on their trip to Belfast.] (79)

[Bruce Morrison and "adopted child syndrome"] He was never "one of us," but at the same time he was never "one of them." (80)

"The defining element was that the British and the Irish spent thirty years of the Troubles trying to make a deal in the middle that excluded the extremes. The Clinton analysis, which we pushed hard, was that you needed the big tent. You had to bring the political extremes into the political process because the war was caused by extreme feelings. The moderates were not the ones making war, so having them talk to each other wasn't going to make peace." (Morrison, 81)

"This isn't an issue of right or wrong - this is an issue of how you bring conflict to an end." (Jackie Redpath, 96)

"I want to see peace given a chance and all guns put away. I want to see the people of Northern Ireland have their disagreements through a political process that works for everyone, not through a violent process that at the end of the day works for no one." (Morrison, 107)

"We are the Americans dropped right in the middle of it to talk to all the people in this place where people don't talk to each other. In a democracy, that's how people solve problems: They talk to each other." (Morrison, 109)

"It's remarkable what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit." (Morrison, 109)

"Bruce has always shown me that when you get to the table, the question is 'Who ought to be at the table but isn't here yet?' His approach was, 'Is there a democratic approach to the problem?'" (Inez McCormack, 115)

Downing Street Declaration, December 15, 1993

"Anything, any positive step, is better than no step, because you can build on it." (Morrison, 151)

Good Friday Agreement, April 10, 1998: "It wasn't the agreement to end all agreements: It was the agreement to create further agreements." (Morrison, 221)

"[From 1986-1997, Gerry Adams and Sinn Fein] had accepted that the way forward was going to be political, and that political institutions gave them the opportunity to persuade in a way that violence didn't." (Morrison, 226)

It's one thing to want to stay close to your roots, but quite another to grow up unequipped to deal with people from different backgrounds. (re: separate schools for Catholic and Protestant students, 244)

See also: Making Sense of the Troubles by David McVea and David McKittrick; Daring Diplomacy by Conor O'Clery; Making Peace by George Mitchell; Say Nothing by Patrick Keefe… (mais)