Power Transition and Peace: The Case of Northern Ireland
Institutional Affiliation
Xavier University
Start Date
January 2026
End Date
January 2026
Proposal Type
Presentation
Proposal Format
On-campus
Proposal Description
Power Transition theory historically has been used to explain the risk of war associated with the rise and fall of great powers in world politics. The Peace Process in Northern Ireland was built on an attempt to institutionalize power sharing and a parity of esteem between the two major communities in this jurisdiction. The challenge has been that unionists have lost power moving from a monopoly of power to sharing power. This has proven difficult for a group who historically perceives itself under siege. For the nationalist community the institutions created by the Good Friday Agreement provided them more power in the Northern Ireland context than they had under the original governing system for Northern Ireland. However, in the post-Brexit period nationalists have increasingly sought to move beyond power-sharing to their ultimate goal of Irish unity. This narrative threatens the unionist community and undermines existing efforts to realize effective power-sharing in the Northern Ireland context. This power transition in the Northern Ireland context is a sub-plot in the wider transition of power and influence between Ireland and the United Kingdom in a historical perspective.
Power Transition and Peace: The Case of Northern Ireland
Power Transition theory historically has been used to explain the risk of war associated with the rise and fall of great powers in world politics. The Peace Process in Northern Ireland was built on an attempt to institutionalize power sharing and a parity of esteem between the two major communities in this jurisdiction. The challenge has been that unionists have lost power moving from a monopoly of power to sharing power. This has proven difficult for a group who historically perceives itself under siege. For the nationalist community the institutions created by the Good Friday Agreement provided them more power in the Northern Ireland context than they had under the original governing system for Northern Ireland. However, in the post-Brexit period nationalists have increasingly sought to move beyond power-sharing to their ultimate goal of Irish unity. This narrative threatens the unionist community and undermines existing efforts to realize effective power-sharing in the Northern Ireland context. This power transition in the Northern Ireland context is a sub-plot in the wider transition of power and influence between Ireland and the United Kingdom in a historical perspective.