Bloody Ireland: The unfinished work of the Northern Ireland peace settlement

This thesis demonstrates the cumulative shocks facing the relatively successful peace of 25 years, in Northern Ireland, probing the region's vulnerability in the context of the politics of deeply divided societies. Cumulative shocks, whether internal or exogenous, matter across peace agreements and a shifting context could pose new, often unprecedented challenges for peace. Time in Northern Ireland has neither erased the scars of the past, nor the names of the victims, nor the evolving ideology that drove its devastating hostility. The Northern Ireland problem and its challenges arguably remain as relevant today as it was 25 years ago. To demonstrate these challenges, the thesis engaged with discourse analysis of academic, political and civil society viewpoints since 2016, supplemented with earlier pre-2014 academic research, media articles, public lectures, surveys, and commentaries. Using this approach, the study concluded that the Northern Ireland peace process is unfinished in its work, vulnerable to external real-world shocks and requires reforming interventions to mitigate these vulnerabilities. Thus, such a conclusion implicates actors and stakeholders to publicly reengage with the problem of Northern Ireland as a matter of political and social responsibility. Stakeholders should address current vulnerabilities and assist in steering the region towards peace, stability and prosperity as an anchored partner on the island of Ireland, and an important member of the United Kingdom.