The Northern Ireland Conflict was a 30-year period of political and sectarian violence primarily between Catholic nationalists demanding Northern Ireland be part of the Irish Republic and Protestant unionists insisting it remain governed as part of the UK. Over 3,500 were killed during “The Troubles”, which lasted from 1968 to 1998. Former Senator George Mitchell was asked to chair the negotiations between the warring factions and did so “mostly by listening,” he has said. These talks successfully ended with an agreement of the parties signed on Good Friday, 1998. Senator Mitchell will talk about his time as US Envoy to Northern Ireland, and the skills politicians need today to compromise, find common ground, and restore democracy.

Further thinking
BOOK: A Path to Peace: A Brief History of Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations and a Way Forward in the Middle East, by George J. Mitchell
BOOK: The Negotiator: Reflections on an American Life, by George J. Mitchell
INTERVIEW: George Mitchell reflecting on his career in public service, News Center Maine