The Troubles: The Irish Republican Army (IRA)

As a chain reaction of the withdraw of the United Kingdom from the European Union, after Scotland asked for an independence vote, the Sinn Fein Party’s leader called for a referendum on a united Ireland.[ Stone, "Sinn Fein Calls For Referendum On Northern Ireland Leaving The UK ‘As Soon As Possible’."] The Northern Ireland conflict came back to attract public attention. The conflict was rooted in Britain’s policies on religion and colonization in Northern Ireland, it is usually referred as “The Troubles”. It was a bout of long-term political violence and deadlock within Northern Ireland. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is an armed force which dedicated to Irish republicanism from the late 1960s till today, it was characterized by the use of

The Irish Republican Army (also known as the Old IRA) was originally a legitimate army of the Irish Republic in 1921, they fought against British rule in Ireland in the Irish War of Independence, which was ended with Anglo-Irish Treaty. After the signing of the Treaty, the Old IRA spat to two parts, the pro-treaty National Army, and the anti-treaty irregulars. The irregulars saw kept the name IRA. After a split in the republican movement in 1969, the IRA broke into two groups, the Official IRA (OIRA) which belief in Marxism, and the Provisional IRA (PIRA), which was the biggest and most active republican paramilitary group during the Troubles.[ Kelley, The Longest War. 127-131] In addition to regular assassinations and shootings, the attack modes of PIRA also include suicide bombings, car bombings and other inhumane methods, which are recognized as terrorist acts. In 1972, the political attacks reached the peak.[ Sutton, An Index Of Deaths From The Conflict In Ireland, 1969-1993.] At first the leadership of PIRA thought this would be a “short but successful war”, but the hope of a quick victory abated in the mid-1970s.[ O'Brien, The Long War. 119.] Victims of the war and their family started calling for peace.[ Kelley, The longest War. 253.] In the face of all the bloody events, Pope John Paul II visited Ireland in September 1979 and made an impassioned plea for peace in Northern

David Trimble and John Hume, who leaded the process of GFA, were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. However, the agreement had never given a real solution to the Northern Ireland conflict. First of all, this agreement is a result of compromise of all parties involved, it does not fulfill any party’s direct needs. No doubt that GFA has many positive effects, but it provided legitimate governance within a deeply divided society, and there are even division within each party, unless the divisions disappears, which is unlikely given the lack of trust between the unionism and nationalism, the agreement will always have a weak foundation.[ Neuheiser and Wolff, Peace at Last?: The Impact of the Good Friday Agreement on Northern Ireland.26.] Although 71% of people of Northern Ireland voted endorsed the Good Friday Agreement, there were dissenting opinions[ Neuheiser and Wolff, Peace at Last?: The Impact of the Good Friday Agreement on Northern Ireland.36.]. “There is no such thing as a peace process”, said Ian Paisley, a loyalist politician who was seen as a firebrand and the face of tough unionism during the time of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.[ As cited in Roger Mac Ginty and John Darby. Guns and Government: The management of the Northern Ireland Peace Process. 3.] He is not the only politician in Northern Ireland who have suggested this. The