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UCD Clinton Institute for American Studies

Washington Forum: Lessons Learned, The US and the Northern Ireland Peace Process

1 May 2008
US Capitol Hill H-137

Forum Report

On Thursday 1st May, the Clinton Institute co-hosted a Forum on the Peace Process in the United States Capitol Building in Washington. The event symbolically marked the 10th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and was also a timely supplement to the historic address to Congress by the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern on Wednesday 30th April.

The Forum was convened to assess the historical contribution that significant actors in the United States made to the evolution of the Peace Process in Northern Ireland. It focused on the roles of Congress, the White House and non-governmental groups and individuals and discussed the lessons that may be learned about the interactions of these agencies as a model for resolving conflicts in the wider world.

The Forum was jointly sponsored by the Clinton Institute for American Studies at University College Dublin, the United States Institute for Peace, and Co-operation Ireland. Dermot Ahern, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, delivered keynote comments on the significance of the Peace Process for international engagements with conflict resolution. The Forum discussions were centred on three themed panels, each discussing distinct phases of the US’s interactions with the Peace Process:

• The Peace Process: Texts and Contexts
• The Good Friday Agreement: Evolution and Realization
• US/Ireland Relations: Lessons Learned and Future Directions

Invited speakers included:

• Susan Brophy, former Deputy Assistant to President Bill Clinton
• David Byrne SC, former Attorney General of Ireland and E.U. Commissioner
• Congressman Peter King
• Congressman Joseph Crowley
• Ben Gilman, former Chairman of the House International Relations Committee
• James Kenny, former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland
• Bruce Morrison, former member of Congress and author of the Morrison Visa Program
• Congressman Richard Neal, Chairman Friends of Ireland Congressional Caucus
• Niall O’Dowd, publisher of Irish America magazine & Immigration Activist
• Kathleen D. Stephens, former U.S. Consul General Belfast 1995-1998
• Mark Tuohey, Chairman Co-operation Ireland USA
• Congressman James Walsh, author of the Walsh Visa Program 

The Forum proceedings were recorded and will be archived by the Clinton Institute for research purposes – portions of the recordings will be placed on the Institute’s website.  This will be an important oral record of key actors’ roles in the Peace Process and their perspectives ten years on. Prof Liam Kennedy will report on the Forum proceedings at the Mitchell Conference in Queens University on 22nd and 23rd May.

This convening and recording of the Forum represents the first step in an ambitious research project which will include the creation of an oral history archive documenting the roles and perspectives of US actors in the Peace Process. The Clinton Institute already supports a collaborative research project on US interactions with the Peace Process, led by Dr Maurice Bric of the School of History and Archives at UCD. It is in the process of building a broader project in partnership with institutions in the United States.

Key research questions to be explored include:

• the roles of governmental and non-governmental actors in the United States in shaping the Peace Process
• the place of the Peace Process in the context of US foreign policy and international relations perspectives
• how the situation in Ireland contributed to the shifting of perceptions about international conflicts and their resolution
• the future of the US/Irish relationship, and in particular the role of the United States as an active party in continuing to promote a peaceful future in Northern Ireland

Cong. Richard Neal

L-R Niall O'Dowd, Prof Liam Kennedy (UCD Clinton Institute) & Cong. Bruce Morrison

L-R  Niall O'Dowd,(publisher of Irish America magazine) Susan Brophy, (Deputy Assistant for Legislative Affairs to President Bill Clinton) Cong. Joe Crowley & Cong. Ben Gilman

Cong. Bruce Morrison

Cong. Jim Walsh & Prof Paul Arthur (University of Ulster)

Amb. Kathleen Stephens, Cong. Peter King and David Byrne SC (Former Attorney General)

In focusing our attention on diverse US-based actors and their perspectives we recognize that the making and maintaining of a lasting peace in Northern Ireland is not exclusively the story of one or two individuals but the interwoven stories of many. Our unfolding project will respect the multifaceted mediation of the Peace Process and its transnational legacies.

Forum Panels & Participants

To mark the 10th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, this Forum will assess the historical contribution that significant actors in the United States made to the evolution of the Peace Process in Northern Ireland. It will focus on the roles of Congress, the White House and non-governmental groups and individuals and consider the lessons that may be learned about the interactions of these agencies as a model for resolving conflicts in the wider world.

The Forum is jointly sponsored by the Clinton Institute for American Studies at University College Dublin, the United States Institute for Peace and Co-operation Ireland.                

The Forum will commence at 9.30am and will revolve around three themed panels:               

• The Peace Process: Texts and Contexts – Chair: Congressman Richard Neal (10am – 11.15am)
• The Good Friday Agreement: Evolution and Realization- Chair: Congressman James Walsh (11.30am – 12.45pm)
• US/Ireland Relations: Lessons Learned and Future Directions – Chair: Congressman Ben Gilman  (2.15pm – 3.30pm)

Participants include:

• Cong. Richard Neal, Chairman Friends of Ireland Congressional Caucus
• Cong. Peter King
• James Kenny, former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland
• Bruce Morrison, former member of Congress and author of the Morrison Visa Program
• Niall O’Dowd, publisher of Irish America magazine & Immigration Activist
• Cong. Chris Smith
• Mark Tuohey, Chairman Co-operation Ireland USA
• Cong. James Walsh, author of the Walsh Visa Program 
• And other invited guests

The Forum proceedings will be recorded and archived by the UCD Clinton Institute for research purposes, in association with the United States Institute of Peace. This will be an important oral record of key actors’ roles in the Peace Process and their perspectives ten years on.

This forum has been conceived as the first in a series of events and projects looking at the relationship between Ireland and the USA, under the auspices of the UCD Clinton Institute.

Catherine Carey                                                                      
UCD Clinton Institute                                                              
Tel +353 1 7161560 (office)                                                   
Tel +353 87 9359259
Fax + 353 1 7161562

Kevin Sullivan
Co-operation Ireland, Washington
301-320-0593