"...across the globe, Northern Ireland, Ireland as a whole, is today renowned not for conflict but for resolving conflict." With these words Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern announced that the Government will provide €25 million a year to fund a conflict resolution unit in his department and similar activities outside it.
This is a worthwhile initiative, based on the Northern Ireland settlement serving as a model for other conflicts. It broadens a similar proposal in last year's White Paper on development aid into a more ambitious plan for public diplomacy, analysis and research in an area where Ireland has undoubted experience and expertise.
Mr Ahern emphasises how much interest there has been in this experience, from world leaders and those involved in other seemingly intractable conflicts. He makes the valid point that the role of the international community in bringing peace to the North can and should be reciprocated by a proactive Irish role in sharing its lessons. There are no exact parallels, of course, since each conflict is unique, with its own nuances and peculiarities. But this diversity does not invalidate common political action or comparative analysis and research.
Among the lessons about conflict resolution to be learned from Ireland are the need for a negotiating process involving dogged political commitment, patience, attention to detail and a dialogue capable of bringing the most polarised together in mutual recognition of their respective rights and identities. It has mattered hugely that political leaders and officials at the highest level in Ireland and Britain have been willing to undertake such painstaking work in the belief that eventually it can bear fruit. That commitment has been recognised internationally - a material fact in a conflict-ridden world.
Not all deeply divided societies or political conflicts can be resolved by the methods used in Northern Ireland, nor by its distinctive communal powersharing solutions. A great deal depends on the attitudes of neighbouring states with a stake in minority grievances, on the political resources available and on the levels of economic and social development involved. Mr Ahern argues that Ireland can be a bridge between the developing and developed worlds because of the history which saw us make the transition from colonial subjection to political independence and from poverty to prosperity. That experience gives insights into many of the world's conflicts.
This initiative will be funded from the expanding development budget which is planned to reach 0.5 per cent of national income this year (€800 million) and will be nearly double this sum by 2012. It makes sense to earmark some of the extra money for conflict resolution, since that removes many obstacles to development. The greater expertise and familiarity flowing from academic research and analysis is a welcome aspect of this plan. We need to know much more about our aid partners.