Sinn Fein, the Past and Political Strategy: The Provisional Irish Republican Movement and the Politics of 'Reconciliation'

摘要

This article examines a critical aspect of the contemporary political debate in\udNorthern Ireland regarding ‘the past’, and how to deal with the legacies of violent conflict.\udThe article will specifically analyse the Provisional republican movement’s developing policy\udin this area. It outlines Sinn Féin’s (SF’s) policy evolution with regard to ideas of ‘truth and\udreconciliation’ in the context of the post-Belfast Agreement era of ‘peace’. It proceeds to\udcritically assess the Republican movement’s demands for an independent and international\udprocess of ‘truth recovery’, and subsequently engages in a detailed critique of SF’s recent\udpromotion of a ‘reconciliation strategy’, designed to enhance the movement’s strategic\udagenda, and usher in a new phase in the ‘peace process’. The article concludes by arguing\udthat SF’s approach to ‘truth and reconciliation’ has been characterised by an emphasis upon\udthe movement’s efforts to legitimise its version of the historical narrative of the Troubles,\udrather than by any authentic attempt to address self-critically the previous commitment to\ud‘armed struggle’, or to seek genuine compromise with unionists, loyalists and the broader\udProtestant population. This approach has also been formulated for an internal audience, with\udthe goal of convincing republicans that progress towards a united Ireland has not stalled.