From war to peace: Northern Ireland conflict and the peace process/Savastan barisa: Kuzey Irlanda caticmasi ve baris sureci

This article analyzes the reasons ethnic violence erupted in Northern Ireland at the end of the 1960s. Based on semi-structured interviews with civil society workers, local deputies and residents in Northern Ireland that took place during August-September 2014, it argues that in the Northern Ireland case, the cleavage structure and political competition which overlapped with bipolar ethnic divide rendered political parties incapable to appeal to ethnic diversity within Northern Irish society. This article shows that the unionist-nationalist cleavage structure and political competition based on plurality rule brought about ethnic polarization and intensified interethnic tensions by producing governments supported exclusively by Protestants and hindering the incorporation of Catholics into the political system. It also demonstrates that peace negotiations in Northern Ireland were a process of institutional innovation in order to incorporate both communities into the political system. Keywords: Ethnic Conflict, Ethnic Polarization, Cleavage Structure, Peace Negotiations, Northern Ireland Bu calisma 1960'larin sonunda Kuzey Irlanda'da etnik siddetin neden ortaya ciktigini incelemektedir. 2014 Agustos-Eylul aylarinda Kuzey Irlanda'da sivil toplum calisanlari, yerel milletvekilleri ve Kuzey Irlanda sakinleriyle gerceklestirilen ucu acik gorusmelere dayanarak, bu calisma iki kutuplu etnik bolunmeyle ortusen siyasi yapi ve politik rekabet nedeniyle, Kuzey Irlanda'da siyasi partilerin etnik cesitlilige hitap edemedigini one surmektedir. Bu calisma Kuzey Irlanda'da birlik yanlilari ve milliyetciler arasindaki siyasi rekabetin ve cogunluk sistemine dayali secim sisteminin sadece Protestanlar tarafindan desteklenen birlik yanlisi hukumetler yaratarak ve Katolikleri siyasi sisteme dahil etmeyi zorlastirarak etnik polarizasyona yol actigini ve etnik gruplar arasindaki tansiyonu yukselttigini gostermektedir. Bu calisma ayrica Kuzey Irlanda baris muzakerelerinin iki toplulugu da siyasete dahil etmeyi amaclayan bir kurumsal yenilenme sureci oldugunu aciklamaktadir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Etnik Catisma, Etnik Polarizasyon, Siyasi Yapi, Baris Muzakereleri, Kuzey Irlanda
Introduction The rise of paramilitaries at the end of the 1960s and the ensuing thirty years of ethnic violence, widely known as 'Troubles', claimed over 3,700 lives between 1969 and [...]