Coursera - The Conditions for War and Peace

Early this year I competed a free online course with Coursera, which offered free lectures from the University of Tokyo and open discussions with lifelong learners from every corner of the world. One of the assignments asked us to think about the greatest peacekeeping measure, suggesting military power, democracy and free market as potential tools for peace. These short thoughts were then peer reviewed and open to discussion. The entire process was very rewarding in terms of keeping me connected to a field of study that inspires me and others who feel motivated to consider similar pursuits. The following ideas were my initial thoughts from this process. 

Conditions for War and Peace: Final Essay

It is the combination of many factors, such as military power, democracy and free market, that contribute to peacekeeping efforts. 

Realists would argue that military prowess acts as a deterrent against potential attacks, following the adage that defense is the best offense. The argument of Huntington, that military professionalism can limit war, is very compelling in that often the 'experts of war' will only take calculated risks to avoid loss and damages wherever possible. Also, it should be highlighted that it is usually the case that those who have experienced war are the greatest advocates for peace. Military power has great potential for limiting war although it does not promote peace - as peace in its truest sense is not only the absence of force, but it is the presence of hope.

Arguments for Economic Liberalism carry potentials as they explain complex power dynamics and allow for the protection of self-interest. Dr Fujiwara explained clearly that the United States and China may not have a hegemonic war in the traditional sense because free market and interrelated economies means that one cannot be destroyed without destroying the other. In this sense, the United States and China are economically interrelated. This argument has merit but it will not be strong enough to stop China from invading the United States should the benefit at some point outweigh the cost. Without an ethical basis of mutual respect and/or a value for human life, the arguments of Free Market Theory are not strong enough to lead to the elimination of war.

I agree with Dr Fujiwara that democracy will have a role in building global peace in the long term, however, democracy alone will not end wars. The example of the United States, a rich, powerful and stable democracy, engaging in warfare is proof alone that civic institutions and the majority of people themselves can support violence and war - and therefore democracy does not equate to peace. Where the people and their institutions do not equally value the lives of others living outside of their political boundaries, democracy will never eliminate war.

Finally, it will be a universal commitment to valuing human life that will be the greatest potential for peace, alongside the appropriate conditions of democracy, free market and possibly military power. It will be through developing empathy within individuals, communities, nations and international institutions that true and lasting peace will be supported. This has links to Liberal Institutionalism, Pacifism, Humanism and other theories but in its core it is the ability for people to value the greatest potentials for peace locally, regionally and internationally that will ultimately be the greatest deterrent against war. This of course has yet to be proven on a large scale but can be seen clearly in grassroots peacebuilding efforts around the world, where emotional inter-personal connections can reduce the incidence of violence and promote a warm and lasting peace. 

Las fronteras - Borderlands

A few days ago I passed between Europe and Africa via a 12 kilometer crossing at the Straight of Gibraltar. This was not my first time passing from the First World to the Third World - leaving the global North and entering the global South in a matter of minutes. 

There is something unsettling about the potentials for an invisible boundary to impact many of our opportunities in life and the people we may meet along the way. Even in Northern Ireland seen and unseen boundaries have limited mobility, the schools where we study and the people we love. In other places, where the borders are even more restricted, this harsh reality is even more powerful. 

El Paso, TX, Inside US but looking to Mexico

My first experience of this stark division was in my own country along the border of Texas and Mexico. I felt angry that I could move so easily between these countries while others were separated from their families without any hope of reuniting. When I returned home I wrote a reflection of this experience in my university newspaper (http://goo.gl/0dw2NP) excluding some of the realities of violence and exploitation I'd yet to fully process. After years of reflection and study on the nature of ethnic conflict it became clear that the border between the United States and Mexico is among other divisions around the world whereby people of different ethnicities and class are separated by physical barriers. This worldwide phenomenon has been illustrated by the Guardian's Walled World interactive map including my wee city of Belfast, the two cases discussed here and other similar expressions of division the world over (http://goo.gl/61MwEs). 

The border between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso

The truth is that El Paso, Texas at the time of my visit was the third safest city of its size while Ciudad Juarez is among the most dangerous in the world. These cities are essentially one large settlement, divided by fencing fortified by border patrols and a meager stream that was once the Rio Grande. In Ciudad Juarez people are threatened by drug wars, femicides and poor working conditions in maquilas. Hundreds each year are recorded to lose their lives in pursuit of the American dream, burning in the desert, drowning in the waterways and dying from unbearable trafficking conditions en route. 

Border patrol on the border of Tangiers, 12 km from Europe

The issues facing Africans trying to reach Europe are much the same. The European Union pays the Moroccan government to prevent people and drugs from leaving its border - a difficult task which challenges even the most advanced countries. After the disaster of Lampedusa this October where over 400 people lost their lives travelling between North Africa and Europe, where the waters of the Mediterranean clash with the tides of the Atlantic, the world is beginning to pay closer attention to the importance of protecting human security in the case of immigration. The US as well is undergoing extensive immigration reform - asking important questions about the human rights of newcomers.

Where Europe meets Africa

The real question we should all be asking is not how can we stop illegal immigration, but how can we open legal immigration? At present these borders have been exploited by wealthy governments seeking cheap labour. They have been controlled by criminals in the trade of humans, drugs and illegal goods. But there is another way. There is a way we can end illegal trafficking. There is hope for reconnecting families. There is potential for globalisation to exist beyond the technological revolution through open mobility of people and goods. The question to ask now is not should we, but how should we we maximise the potentials for this close proximity of diversity so that we can all benefit? Rather than spending all of our resource on borders and defense why don't we find legal and fair ways to utilise migrant workers, offering benefits and fair wages in exchange for hard work? Instead of rejecting ships of 'illegals' in search of a better life, why don't we openly accept people eager to build a more peaceful future via regulated means of transit? 

There are radical answers to immigration reform that are not under consideration because of the fear people in positions of power feel when considering the potentials of open borders. The current situation of injustice, exploitation and death must be fully understood so that we begin to fear what will continue to happen if we do not consider such an alternative. There is more to be gained rather than lost, if only we open our minds, and borders, to the possibilities!

Creation Myths in times of War

How to write the history books of Northern Ireland is one of the most complicated challenges for "dealing with the past." This difficulty is shared across deeply divided societies working towards peaceful transformation. 

Using myths, or as cultural anthropologist Geertz describes "the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves," to understand our world is universal across place and time. However, these myths become evermore complicated in the case of deeply divided societies where they perpetuate hatreds and act to divide "us" from "them;" often in direct contradiction to one another. 

In an attempt to reconcile divisions, particularly in post-conflict or transitional societies, there is a pluralist approach invoked to accept a multitude of "truths", despite their contradiction. However, the Freudian return of the repressed leads to a cycle of competing mythologies that oftentimes interfere with this attempt to accept difference through pluralism. 

Noel Malcolm beautifully articulates this idea in the case of Bosnia in the early 1990's where he points to the destruction and ruination of the Oriental Institute, Sarajevo Library and architectural heritage of the Ottoman Empire. He writes, 

"The people who have planned and ordered these actions like to say that history is on their side. What they show by their deeds is that they are waging a war against the history of their country" (Malcolm; xxiv). 

How true this idea of people waging war against their own history, perhaps because it is painful to remember or perhaps because the history is contradictory to their myths. Understanding and combating this war against history is essential for building a shared narrative for the future. 

The Survivor's Commission in Northern Ireland is exploring the potentials of a pluralist storytelling approach whereby listening to the stories of one another will yield a diversity of understanding, connecting people on a level of empathy and shared experience of trauma. This is an idea that inspires me in much of the work I do, particularly in the case of storytelling, which has an ethical imperative to promote diversity of experience and thought in order to foster critical self-reflection. By this I mean we endeavor to facilitate a situation whereby destructive myths (eg: that defend violence or perpetuate feelings of victimhood) are put into question by the experiences of others.

Interestingly Malcolm spoke to this point saying, 

"The fact that there is an almost symmetrical pattern of conflicting claims and justifications does not mean that one can reach an accurate conclusion by treating all claims as equal and merely averaging them out" (Malcolm; xxiii). 

Oftentimes in Northern Ireland the dynamic and complex issue seems to get boiled down into a two primary claims - which are unfortunately "averaged out" in an attempt to promote "equality". This speaks to the importance of listening to varied and multi-dimensional stories, which go beyond a two sided blame game. 

The Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation and Social Justice (ISCTSJ) at Queen’s University Belfast hosted a Symposium at the Lyric Theatre entitled Location of Narratives: Storytelling and Archives. Alison Jeffers of the University of Manchester discussed points from her paper, Giving Audience: Storytelling and Storylistening in Post-conflict Narrative. She spoke to the potentials of storytelling and storylistening but also qualified that listening and showing empathy could limit action. Here again we face difficulties with writing history. Furthermore, a condition for the Ethical Storytelling, as promoted by the Towards Understanding and Healing project, operates on a no judgement principle.This principle safeguards the stories of individuals, however, it does not mean we should accept the validity of myths. 

Ultimately strength will come from the ability to stay open to others, particularly when one's stories may one's deep seated beliefs in the truthfulness of their own myths. It will be essential to remain critical and reflective of one's self and surroundings while holding true to certain ethical principles that guide positive human interactions. 

Finally, it will be imperative to differentiate between passing judgement on the story of an individual as opposed to the myth of a group. Whereas it is possible to participate in storylistening without judging the storyteller or assessing truthfulness of their story - it is essential we differentiate that person's story from the oftentimes destructive ideology of their myths. Just as Malcolm is able to claim that he has "no doubt" one side has more "burden of responsibility for the destruction in Bosnia" so too may history books pass judgment in the case of wrongdoings, on both sides. 

It will be important to critically analyse myths, particularly in deeply divided societies moving into times of peace, in order to build a narrative that allows for a diversity of memories while respecting the events of history. 

 

 

The day our neighbours moved out

I still don't have words to describe my thoughts on my neighbours fleeing their home Monday morning after attacks on their house. The image of the family carrying their bedding out of their home in the middle of the night will stay with me forever, this picture taken later is the only image I have to share.

"World Peeler Games"

It's been an exciting 10 days for our wee city, welcoming thousands of police officers and firefighters from around the globe to compete in some of the most light-hearted sporting and gaming events known to man. There's something uplifting about cheering for community heroes basking in their own strengths and talents. The team spirit and international ethos of the World Police and Fire Games (WPFG) have uplifted the city, and the country, from the opening ceremonies and throughout the week. The free events offered an opportunity for local enthusiasts to participate in exciting competitions from tug-of-war to wrist-wrestling to ladder climbing. Following the buzz of the 2012 Olympics, it kept the flame of sportsmanship and excitement alive in this part of the world.

But in Northern Ireland nothing is so simple. The centenary of the launch of the Titanic was also the centenary of the Ulster Covenant, marking the pride of shipbuilding alongside the history of deeply entrenched political division. The Christmas Market in the front of City Hall and riots at the back during the flag riots of December 2012 also highlighted this dichotomy inspiring newpaper titles like 'A Tale of Two Cities' and harkening back to the research of Murtagh's 'Twin Speed City,' immortalizing this strange reality of our town in press and publication. 

Tonight as well we feel the pulls of the past preventing us from fully embracing the potentials the WPFG bring.

Underneath the graffiti of Black Mountain reading 'PSNI - M15: Political Policing' fought Northern Irish citizens in the heart of our city over issues of internment and divergent pasts. This is not the only fighting in our city. 

On the playing fields, leisure centres and make-shift arenas of our city there are other fights taking place. On the surface these are competitions of world athletes and heroes fighting for the victory of their countries and squads - but deeper than that they are fighting, in a way, for our city to move closer to peace. 

While we should not overlook and ignore the violence and voices of division that have persisted - we also should find ways to empower these other fights taking place in our city - the fights for a Northern Ireland we can all feel proud of.

The Bony - 2013

Fun and Games - 11th July 2013

Flags - 11th July 2013

Bonfires - 11th July 2013

Boglands of Peace

Killala boats

Last weekend we took a trip from Belfast to the furthest western reaches of Ireland. The drive was a beautiful one, passing through the lakelands of Fermanagh, Cavan and Leitrim and the hills and lighthouses of Sligo, until finally we reached County Mayo. The wonderful thing about traveling in Ireland is that each hill and country road is every bit as spectacular as the destination.

Ceide Fields

We rambled through North Mayo sampling hill lamb in Ballina's Market Kitchen, visited the old fishing village of Killala (where many brightly painted boats seemed to go to die), and ventured into the Megalithic Tombs near Rathlackan. In the heavy rain the boglands soaked up our feet just as quickly as the rainwater. The bogs are made up of 90% water and the remainder residual plant matter, acting as a unique habitat for flora and fauna and preserving places, such as the Ceide Fields, for thousands of years. 

The site of the Ceide Fields is Ireland's earliest known settlement. Walking around the nearly 6,000 year old stone structures, overlooking the Northwestern hills and beneath the pitter patter of soft rain, was like going back in time. There were no weapons or fortifications found among the well preserved remains buried deep within the blanket of bog. Here is evidence that thousands of years before the Vikings, the Normans, the British, the Planters and the Troubles - there was peace in Ireland!

If our towns and cities were deserted today and consumed by boglands, it's interesting to think what people may learn of us in the years to come. 

Keem, Achill Island

We continued on to the Irish Country Life Museum and Turlough Cemetary, each sharing insights into a more recent history of Ireland's West. We slept in beautiful hotels and enjoyed delicious meals in Westport. We drove through Ballycroy National Park and danced on the beach at Achill Island. As we drove through the dramatic hills we lost track of mankind - only reminded that this land wasn't solely inhabited by the many sheep dotting the landscape by the freshcut peat drying in the fields. 

I spent the next few hours of our journey soaking up every experience of peacefulness Mayo was introducing. I left feeling rejuvenated by the settlement at the Ceide Fields and by the striking natural beauty and calm that our wee island embodies - both in spirit and now also in history. As we traveled back to the land of Seamus Heaney I felt I understood a bit better his poem of the Bogland. At the very least I was quite inspired to write a few lines on the majestic powers of the boglands myself.

 

 

 

Conflict Tourism: Potentials for Peacebuilding?

Tourists taking a photo in front of police vehicles during Flag Protests January 2013

Sandy Rowe For God

To a visitor of Northern Ireland there's something striking about a 20 foot mural of a masked gunman painted on a dilapidated building. There's something gritty about wandering through an unfamiliar estate to see the painted curbstones and other territorial markings. There's something authentic about meeting an ex-combatant who speaks candidly about his transition from child to soldier. And there's something romantic about walking from one side of a peaceline to the other - taking a stand against segregation and feeling hopeful that bridges will soon replace walls.

Author at Cupar way Peaceline

I know the reality of conflict tourism all to well because I myself am an avid conflict tourist. In addition to my guilty pleasure of exploring and photographing the murals and peacelines around Northern Ireland I have been working jointly in Peacebuilding and Tourism industries. I've led hundreds of people - both from around the island and further afield - to the peacelines of Belfast.

Each time I deliver a new bus load of students or young people to the Cupar Way Peaceline so that they may sign the wall and add their names to the ultimate petition of peace, I take a moment to consider why we're there. I have an internal dilemma where on one hand I cringe at the possibility that people feel we're treating them and their homes like a zoo while on the other hand I'm inspired by the prospect of engaging with a harsh reality so that lessons may be learnt and creative solutions may emerge.  

'Get the real story'

Because it is natural for tourists to be drawn to the excitement of a conflict society (particularly to a post-conflict island of enchantment where Belfast ranks the second safest city in the world for tourists), it's essential that we ensure tourism does not hinder the peace process. Ideally, we should develop potentials for tourism to contribute to regeneration and facilitate lessons for peacebuilding. Just as Black Taxi Tours have created an industry which benefits some of those impacted by the Troubles, it's important to pursue ways tourism may promote sustainability for ongoing peace efforts. My experiences of Black Taxi and Coiste Tours have always been extremely educational and emotive. There is something to be said for giving voice to ex-combatants, promoting opportunities for employment, providing a touristic service and sharing lessons of a difficult past with others. Additionally though there is potential to develop a genuine form of tourism, that compliments ongoing tours, with a type of engagement with peace efforts of past and present.

Hope University students in Alexandra Park

One way this idea has been conceptualised in theory and implemented in practice is through the interface tours facilitated by the Belfast Interface Project and many of their partner organisations, with whom I've had the happy fortune of working. By connecting groups of students and young people from near and far to the good news stories of youth leaders working on cross-community issues in contentious areas and the creative approaches of community organisations responding to needs on the ground, the voices of peace have a greater platform from which to speak. Bringing American university students to travel between the open gates at Alexandra Park introduces a reality that dedication to peacebuilding can yield results. Hearing personal accounts of those who have stood for peace in the face of violence and learning of the daily struggles still present across the interface areas of Belfast is a powerful force to those eager to learn from peace.

The importance of Tourism in Ireland is undeniable. Acknowledging this, the Good Friday Agreement created a cross-border initiative to promote the island of Ireland to the world as an essential component of rebuilding post-conflict. Actively developing an authentic and coordinated strategy to link tourism to interface regeneration and peacework sustainability has tremendous potentials for Northern Ireland. It is essential that Conflict (Peace?) Tourism benefit those most affected by conflict as well as those actively striving for peace.

Storytelling as a means of Transformation

Derry/Londonderry - UK City of Culture 2013

From November 2012 to the start of the new yew year I took part in a training course for facilitating storytelling and positive encounter dialogue with Towards Understanding and Healing. The ethos behind this process promotes the restoration of dignity to victims and offers a process of diverse storytelling as a catalyst for forgiveness and transformation. The potentials have been realised for a number of those in Northern Ireland affected by the Troubles, where people whose paths had crossed in a negative way in the past had an opportunity to change the narrative for their future. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to take part.

One particular session that had great inspiration for me was the Beads Workshop, where we made a bracelet to signify our life story, where each bead carried significant elements of our lives, which we then shared in small groups. The power of creative tools to draw upon memories, in all of their positive and negative forms, and the value of feeling heard in empathy is great. There aren't many opportunities in this life to speak to reflect on what has been and to express that to others. There was something unique about the intimacy of discussion, where we all shared in one anther's stories and felt the ups and downs of others just as we would our own. Empathy and human relatedness was harnessed throughout these sessions in a way that made me a true believer in this process.

This weekend a friend from my training group and myself travelled to Derry to meet with Teya Sepunik the founder and artistic director of Theater of Witness and take part in a workshop to explore the meaning of sanctuary (http://www.tovatheaterofwitness.org/). The Theater of Witness in Northern Ireland has transformed stories of pain and loss into meaningful works of art, where those who were victims and/or perpetrators of terrible circumstances become actors who bring their own narratives to life on the stage for others to experience. Our discussion of sanctuary was focused on creating ideas for a new production underway for this Autumn by the same name. The potential for strangers to spend two hours together and engage in storytelling to create value and art from dire circumstances is proof that there is hope for transformation in Northern Ireland as in other parts of the world. 

This process of human interaction is very intense and because it is highly organised it can feel somewhat unnatural. However, in its core, storytelling is an organic act we all take part in each and everyday. Truly sharing, listening, valuing and empathising with oneself and others does not happen nearly enough in this world, but it's very clear to me that it can happen and when it does, the potentials are great.

Reconciliation Monument - Derry/Londonderry

Where War Ends

Today i was walking past New Lodge in North Belfast and I noticed an abrupt end in peaceline fencing between two houses. It made me wonder - who decided where the war ends?

‘If there is no hope – create some!’: The 15th Anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement

Iconic image of Northern Ireland's peace

There have been a number of events and talks over the past weeks to mark the 15^th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

On 28 March (Good Friday by the Pascal calendar), President Obama released a statement:

As Easter approaches, we mark the 15^th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.  The people of Northern Ireland and their leaders have traveled a great distance over the past fifteen years.  Step by step, they have traded bullets for ballots, destruction and division for dialogue and institutions, and pointed the way toward a shared future for all.  There is urgent work still to be done – and there will be more tests to come.  There are still those few who prefer to look backward rather than forward – who prefer to inspire hate rather than hope.  The many who have brought Northern Ireland this far must keep rejecting their call.  From building cross-community trust to bringing opportunity to hard-to-reach communities in Belfast and beyond, every citizen and every political party needs to work together in service of true and lasting peace and prosperity.   And at every step of the way, the United States will be there as a friend and partner.  That is the message I will carry with me when I visit Northern Ireland and attend the G-8 Summit in June.  

On behalf of the American people, I salute the people and leaders of Northern Ireland and the model they have given to others struggling toward peace and reconciliation around the world.  I pledge our continued support for their efforts to build a strong society, a vibrant economy, and an enduring peace. - President Barack Obama

Trans-Atlantic Connections

As an American working with peacebuilding efforts in Northern Ireland, this message speaks to my core cultural understanding of the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the hope it lends to other conflicts around the world. As a global citizen, I was even more inspired by the presentation delivered today at the University of Ulster rooted in the ethos of Daisaku Ikeda and Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a Buddhist philosophy of peace-building which reaches across the globe and into the hearts of millions of individuals and peace practitioners. 

The seminar, ‘Building Peace Locally, Making Peace Globally,’ was comprised of messages from keynote speaker, Dr Olivier Urbain, Director of the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research in Tokyo and respondent, Dr Duncan Morrow, from the Institute for Research in Social Sciences at the University of Ulster and former Chief Executive of the Community Relations Council for Northern Ireland. The event began with a message from Daisaku Ikeda himself who spoke of his memories of 9 April 1998 when he was sitting with South Africa’s Mbeki and discussing hopes that Northern Ireland would meet its deadline for developing a peace accord. In the end of his letter he gave his respect to the people of Northern Ireland for refusing to give up hope and he gave his support to the seminar marking this special occasion today. 

From SGI’s philosophy, Olivier explained the meaning of Soka, or value creation, which in conflict work is the effort to infuse value into a mindless act or period of violence. Art was a suggested method for transforming intense suffering into something of value. I have seen storytelling act as a tool for restoring dignity and creating value out of a situation of destruction, whereby victims and perpetrators alike can be strengthened through the process. Ikeda explained an example from the US where over one million students joined a campaign of victory over violence after the school shooting in Columbine. Similar experiences can be seen across the globe whereby light comes from darkness.

 

He described to us the transition from Individual Peace to World Peace – marking the journey from

·         Inner Transformation - courage, wisdom, compassion,  

·         Dialogue - making an effort to bring out the best in yourself and others, and

·         Global Citizenship – universal connections  and interdependence

This ethos of the peace within, rooted in Eastern spirituality, was a central principle to the World Peace Festival in Berlin I attended in 2011. The focus on meditation and self-reflection as a necessary component to peacebuilding is a compelling thought. One to which Duncan spoke directly when he identified the need for Northern Ireland to develop an ethical meaning for peace – one that surpasses the secession of violence and speaks to the need for compassion whereby people choose not to collect their pound of flesh, even though they can. He spoke of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement as a ‘work of wisdom’ because of its ‘radical’ allowances for nationality and identity. He reminded us that the political leadership and citizens alike committed to finding democratic means for promoting change and working towards a shared future for Northern Ireland. Duncan suggested that while we celebrate a decade of centenaries for events where violence and division dominated the stage, it’s time now to celebrate the difficult choice Northern Ireland made for peace. 

I appreciated this discussion of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and the introduction to Daisaku Ikeda’s inspiration in the world. Importantly, I was reminded of my dichotomous roles here in Northern Ireland as both an outsider and a global citizen. While Olivier explained himself as a citizen of Northern Ireland for this week because of his geography, Duncan identified both the difficulty for outsiders to appreciate Northern Ireland’s dilemma with choosing peace and the necessity for international values for peace and solidarity, as embodied by SGI, to enter the Northern Ireland discourse. It is between these two identities of outsider and global citizen that I find myself oscillating in understanding my role in peacebuilding in Northern Ireland. While my motivations for moving to Northern Ireland and much of my inspiration for seeking international comparisons and cross-community cooperation is driven by my sense of global citizenship, it’s important for me to acknowledge as well my role as a young American, who was 10 at the signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and who has taken dialogue and human relatedness to be the norm, whereas in actuality peace is a choice individuals and society must  make.

'Peace can only be achieved by understanding.'

The question posed, ‘What would you like to see 10 April 2018?’ is an important consideration we all must make. The spiritual framework Daisaku Ikeda proposes hinges on a tenant that we must respect dignity for life for all people whereby we share in the joys and sorrows of one another, have faith in limitless possibilities, and defend and celebrate diversity. These are the tenants on which I have been raised and educated and I appreciate this opportunity to reflect upon their potentials for making value from the suffering of conflict, as in the case of Northern Ireland.  

In the words of Ikeda, ‘If there is no hope – create some’. Just as Northern Ireland has done this for the world in the signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and the following 15 years of peace-building, so too can each of us.

Mending the Divide

Today a piece of fencing from the peacewall beside our office was undergoing repair, a literal mending of the divide. Now that I've physically seen how Belfast's walls go up (or stay up in this case), I'm wondering more and more about how they come down.

My Immigration Story

Five years ago I visited Belfast for the first time and I fell in love. The history, the humour, and yes even the weather had a sharpness and character that inspired me. The next year I moved here for graduate studies at Queen's University and within a few months I fell in love again, this time with a local man. After graduation I was able to live and work here for two more years with a post-study work visa, affording me the opportunity to keep exploring every inch of the city while pursuing my career in conflict work, which has since consisted of a number of voluntary placements supported by flexible jobs in the service industry. Despite the long hours and at times challenging lifestyle, I feel certain when I'm old and grey I'll look back on these as some of the best years of my life – travelling around this beautiful island, enjoying the vibrant and dynamic cultural scene of Belfast, and building a family and home.


Today is the last day my visa to live in the UK is valid, so as this could be one of my last days in Belfast for some time I feel the need to reflect. My partner and I have been waiting for 4 months, 2 weeks and 5 days for a decision on my application to remain in the UK. Every day I enter our home with eyes half closed feeling both anxious and excited to find a large envelop containing our passports, letters from family and friends, photographs and official documents used to prove our residency, employment and legitimacy of our 'durable relationship akin to marriage'. When mail that falsely fits the bill arrives we stand in the doorway, eyes locked while sharing the weight of the envelop in our shaky hands, only to then curse the random company who unknowingly interrupted our day. Intimate moments have become a treasure and a curse – made both preciously delicate and heartbreakingly tragic by the uncertainty of our fate. 

As an American citizen I am required to have a visa to live in Northern Ireland to study, work, volunteer and live for longer than a few months. In assessing our options we found limitations in the lack of necessity for my type of work, high financial requirements and confusion around newly imposed legislation changing the criterion for different visa types. Saving the specific difficulties and technicalities of this process for another time, I'd like to share a different thought today.

I have seen the pain forced emigration and deportation have on families and couples; I have sat beside asylum seekers waiting to find if their status has been accepted or rejected; I have watched close friends fight for their right to live as an equal member of society after a decade of living with unstable immigration status; and I have spoken with so called 'illegals' about their struggles to find new opportunities in a foreign place. I do not claim that these stories are mine any more than I claim that my own story is unique. I do, however, feel there is something shared in this human experience of immigration that can be and must be central to the debate on border legislation, which ultimately has great power over the course of people's lives and indeed over the course of my own life. 

Today just like many days I will wake up with my partner, volunteer in the day, work into the night, and then go out into this beautiful and buzzing city to celebrate my love and my life in Belfast. As for tomorrow... I'll have to get back to you on that.

East, East, East Belfast

Living in East Belfast for the past few years has meant living through the Titanic Centennary just as it has meant living through the Covenant Centenary; enjoying events of the first annual East Belfast Arts Festival and over two months of riots and protests over the removal of the union flag from City Hall; getting leaflets through the door to 'Smash Alliance' and 'Keep Immigrants Out'; alongside free magazines, community newspapers, charity appeals, and invitations to community functions. 

While many places have this broad range of potentiality, there is something particularly dichotomous about the nature of East Belfast.

The tensions that have erupted during the flag protests do not lie too deeply under the surface, but they do remain hidden enough for Belfast to be named the second safesty city in the world for tourists, the top 10 places to see in 2013 by National Georgraphic, and the home to MTV Music Awards, Cultural Olympiad events and a year long festival of Our Time Our Place.

The past two months of protests and riots have led to a great deal of embarassment, anger and confusion throughout the city, which is gradually returning to apathy as road closures are more rare and the general public's lives are less affected.  I myself grew somewhat immune to taking alternative routes, passing through crowds of young people standing around beside recently burnt out cars, and going to sleep to the hum of helicopters overhead.

I have noticed that while the protests are growing smaller and the bus journeys are becoming more regular, an important element of these protests have been under-considered, and that is the social environment that lay the backdrop for the scenes of protest the past many weeks. Waiting for the bus I noticed a new Union flag flying above a derelict building. On the wall there was grafitti 'child snatchers out' and a public announcement about domestic violence. Just as I was starting to lose sight of these important issues, somewhat hidden behind the bright colours of red, white and blue, the words of Kahlil Gibran's spoke wisdom.

''Oftentimes have I heard you speak of one who commits a wrong as though he were not one of you, but a stranger unto you and an intruder upon your world. But I say that even as the holy and the righteous cannot rise beyond the highest which is in each one of you, So the wicked and the weak cannot fall lower than the lowest which is in you also. And as a single leaf turns not yellow but with the silent knowledge of the whole tree, So the wrong-doer cannot do wrong without the hidden will of you all.'' - Kahlil Gibran in The Prophet

The society of Northern Ireland is only as secure and sustainable as its most contentious and deprived communities. As for the world, it is only as prepared for peace as its most conflicted regions. We are all inter-related and inter-connected and because of this we cannot stand by and ignore experiences of discontent as arising from a group of few, for in the few are the many and in essence the 'anti-social' elements of this society is a reflection on our society as a whole.

On the 40th Day of Protest