The Long War or the Third Way? A comparative study of the Provisional Irish Republican Army and Euskadi ta Askatasuna

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Date

2005

Disciplines

Political Science | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Advisor

Gary Prevost, Political Science

Abstract

While many issues in both Euskadi and Northern Ireland continued to go unresolved, Sinn Fein and the Republican movement continue to maintain their commitment to the peace process, with SF President Gerry Adams going so far as to say that the IRA may need to be "removed" to provide "holistic, definitive, conclusive closure on all the outstanding issues" pertaining to the Good Friday Agreement. In contrast, ETA has maintained its status as a dominate force in Basque Separatism, executing successful operations as recently as March 2005 while Batasuna has remained abstentionist in outlook (at least beyond the local level). My paper will explain these differences as the result of varying levels of commitment from both host states and foreign governments to provide the good offices necessary for successful negotiations to occur.

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