I have published an article in the academic journal Peacebuilding, ‘Ex-combatants and post-liberal peacebuilding in Northern Ireland: challenging cultures of militarism’.
The publisher has made the article available free of charge to the first 50 people who download it at this link – so if you don’t have a subscription to an institutional library that has access to the journal, do take advantage of this opportunity.
This is the abstract:
This article analyses a programme in which an alliance of ex-combatants from the British Army, and loyalist and republican ex-prisoner backgrounds, engaged with young people about cultures of militarism in Northern Ireland. It argues that the alliance’s focus on cultures of militarism sets it apart from other ex-combatant groups; in particular its critique of state militarism alongside paramilitarism makes it a rare example of Richard Jackson’s ‘post liberal peace plus.’ It finds that the alliance could enhance its engagement with young people by developing a more comprehensive programme that expands on the gender dynamics of militarism and on non-violent alternatives to military and paramilitary action. Noting that most peacebuilding funding depends on state-based sources, it concludes that the very critique of state militarism that makes the alliance such a compelling example of ‘post-liberal peace plus’ limits its ability to secure resources, highlighting a key obstacle to building a radical post-liberal peace.
Image used under Creative Commons:
Bobbie Hanvey, photographer. Image bh011795, Bobbie Hanvey Photographic Archives, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.
Thank you, Gladys – I downloaded and read your article. It was very helpful in its analysis of cultures of militarism, and also that identification of that key insight of liberalism that the military is the primary actor. Very nice. Thank you.