Selected Online Reading on EU, Brexit and the Good Friday Agreement

This book examines the economic and political contributions of the EU to the Northern Ireland peace process, tracing the genesis of EU involvement since 1979 and analysing how it acted as an arena in which to foster dialogue and positive cooperation. Based on extensive archival research and exclusive elite interviews this volume provides the first comprehensive study of how the EU contributed to the reconfiguration of Northern Ireland from a site of conflict to a site of conflict amelioration and peace-building. The book demonstrates that the relationship between Northern Ireland and the EU has been much more significant in the peace process than previously suggested.

This book asks how independent commissions helped to overcome difficulties during the implementation phase of the Good Friday Agreement. These independent groups worked to resolve issues which threatened to derail the peace process, including the reform of policing, the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons, the monitoring of ceasefires, dealing with the past conflict, and the issue of human rights. Each chapter provides an in-depth analysis of the work of a different group finding that the commissions engaged in a broad range of activities. Drawing on the lessons of Northern Ireland the book demonstrates the importance of balancing local and international involvement, the inclusion of expertise, and giving sufficient powers to such bodies. This volume appeals to academics and researchers in a range of disciplines such as politics, peace and conflict studies, international relations, and human rights law. It is of interest to readers who are interested in the Northern Ireland peace process and those seeking to understand how third parties can assist in the implementation of peace agreements.

Assessing the consequences of Brexit on EU policies, institutions and members, this book discusses the significance of differentiation for the future of European integration. This book theoretically examines differentiated integration and disintegration, focuses on how this process affects key policy areas, norms and institutions of the EU, and analyses how the process of Brexit is perceived by and impacts on third countries as well as other organizations of regional integration in a comparative perspective. This edited book brings together both leading and emerging scholars to integrate the process of Brexit into a broader analysis of the evolution, establishment and impact of the EU as a system of differentiation. This book will be of key interest to scholar and students of European Union politics, European integration, Brexit, and more broadly to Public Administration, Law, Economics, Finance, Philosophy, History and International Relations.

Consociational power sharing is often perceived to be the method of conflict management that is most likely to succeed in deeply divided societies. The case of Northern Ireland in particular is heralded by many as a consociational success story. Since the signing of the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement in 1998, significant conflict transformation has taken place in the form of a considerable reduction in levels of violence and the establishment of power sharing between unionists and nationalists. This book looks at what consociational power sharing achieves after its implementation - specifically, whether it can work to overcome existing identities in divided societies, or whether it simply freezes divisions. It argues that if consociational power sharing is facilitating a move towards a genuinely shared society, this would be demonstrated in the focus of the election campaigns of Northern Ireland's political parties, which would be almost exclusively based around socio-economic issues affecting the whole population, rather than narrow single identity concerns. However, the book claims that, on the whole, this has not been realised. Although election campaigns are today less strident than they were in the pre-1998 era, it remains the case that they usually foreground single identity symbolism, as it is this that resonates with voters. Whilst consociational power sharing has been very successful in reducing levels of violent conflict and facilitating elite level cooperation between unionists and nationalists, it has been much less successful in reducing divisions within wider society to facilitate a genuinely shared Northern Irish identity. By establishing an important middle ground between consociational proponents and critics, this research will be of significant interest to students and scholars of ethnic politics, political sociology, conflict management, and divided societies more generally.

The year 2018 marks the twentieth anniversary of the signing of the Belfast Agreement that initiated an uneasy peace in Northern Ireland after the forty years of the Troubles. The last twenty years, however, has still not been sufficient time to satisfactorily resolve the issue of how to deal with the events of the conflict and the dissonant heritages that both gave rise to it and were, in turn, fuelled by it. With contributions from across the UK and Europe, Heritage after Conflict brings together a range of expertise to examine the work to which heritage is currently being put within Northern Ireland. Questions about the contemporary application of remembering infiltrate every aspect of heritage studies, including built heritages, urban regeneration and planning, tourism, museum provision and intangible cultural heritages. These represent challenges for heritage professionals, who must carefully consider how they might curate and conserve dissonant heritages without exacerbating political tensions that might spark violence. Through a lens of critical heritage studies, contributors to this book locate their work within the wider contexts of post-conflict societies, divided cities and dissonant heritages. Heritage after Conflict should be essential reading for academics, researchers and postgraduate students engaged in the study of the social sciences, history, peace studies, economics, cultural geography, museum heritage and cultural policy, and the creative arts. It should also be of great interest to heritage professionals.

This book explores the viability of future UK-EU internal security arrangements in light of Brexit, including their impact on the UK's and the EU's security and international standings. The authors discuss on-going negotiations and address the main political and legal concerns of possible future arrangements. As the UK prepares to leave the EU, the country is faced with having to develop new cooperation models with its neighbours to fight growing transnational security threats, as well as new strategies to maintain its leading role as an international security actor. In exploring these issues, the book aims to contribute to the general knowledge on the risks and opportunities associated with the disentanglement of the UK from European internal security cooperation; to shed more light on the debates surrounding the negotiations; and to inform the policy discussions that form the basis of proposed cooperation models and that are likely to significantly shape the future UK-EU security relationship.

This chapter examines the history of the British–Irish relationship against the backdrop of shared European Union (EU) membership. It notes the anticipated impact of Brexit on the Irish economy and on the politics and broader constitutional arrangements on the island of Ireland. The chapter details the Irish Government's approach to the Brexit challenge and notes how Brexit has impacted the tone and tenor of the British–Irish relationship. The Irish Government's primary concern is about what form a hard or soft border between the UK and Ireland will take, how it will be managed and policed and where that border might be. The Government's opposition to the reimposition of any sort of border between north and south is motivated by both political and economic factors. In short, the Irish Government expressly supports the UK remaining in the Customs Union and Single Market.

Brexit traces the implications of the UK's projected withdrawal from the EU, placing short-term political fluctuations in a broader historical and social context of the transformation of European and global society. This book provides a forum for leading Eurosociologists (broadly defined), working inside and outside the UK, to rethink their analyses of the European project and its prospects, as well as to reflect on the likely implications for the UK.

Timely and engaging, this topical book examines how Brexit is intertwined with the concepts of justice and injustice. Legal scholars across a range of subjects and disciplines utilise a multitude of case studies from consumer law, asylum law, legal theory, public law and private law, in order to explore the impact of Brexit on our ideas of justice. The book as a whole aims to engage with the methodology, lexicon and explicitness of analytical perspectives in relation to Brexit.The EU is the epitome of a globalised world: an organisation with a huge number of members, partners and collaborators, seeking to further common goals, with pooling of resources to address shared concerns. Much attention has been paid to justices or injustices in relation to the impact that they have on beginning or increasing global relations, and in turn on individuals or groups. This thought-provoking book analyses the reverse: what justice is brought about by withdrawal therefrom?On Brexit will be of great interest to students and academics working on EU law and politics and global relations due to its interdisciplinary nature. It will also be a key resource for both UK and EU governments and policy actors seeking to broaden their perspective on Brexit.

The UK decision to leave the European Union (EU) has raised the question of what form the post-Brexit UK-EU relationship will take. This chapter explores the development of the UK government’s position since the June 2016 referendum through to the end of 2018 and the conclusion of a Withdrawal Agreement and the adoption of a Political Declaration on the framework for future UK-EU relations. In doing so, it highlights the persistent lack of domestic UK consensus on post-Brexit relations with the EU and the significant challenges the UK government has faced in reconciling the ambition of securing a new strategic partnership and a wide-reaching, bold and ambitious free trade agreement with its own red lines on leaving the customs union, the single market and the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the EU. The chapter explores, too, the EU’s response. A central concern is the extent to which that response is being shaped or determined by established principles underpinning the EU’s external relations. Regular references to the EU not being open to UK ‘cherry-picking’ and accusations more generally that the UK is seeking to ‘have its cake and eating it’ suggest those principles and the precedents set by the EU’s existing privileged partnerships are having a demonstrable impact on the EU’s position.

Der Brexit hat Großbritannien an den Rand einer Revolution geführt. Das Machtgefüge zwischen Krone, Regierung, Parlament und Volk ist aus dem Gleichgewicht geraten. Ein unabhängiges Schottland und ein vereinigtes Irland sind realistische Optionen. Die Gesellschaft Englands ist tief gespalten und das traditionelle Zwei-Parteien-System im Wanken. Nicht nur die äußere Abkehr des Vereinigten Königreichs von den Werten und Zielen der EU, sondern vor allem die Hinwendung nach innen, auf nationale Identität, macht den Brexit zu einem schleichenden Prozess, der noch nachwirken wird, wenn der Austritt Großbritanniens aus der EU längst vollzogen ist.  Das Buch stellt den Folgeband zu ,,BREXIT - Eine Bilanz" dar. Unter Berücksichtigung aktuellster Entwicklungen werden mögliche Folgen des EU-Austrittes rekapituliert und neu bewertet. Ausführliche Exkurse zu Themen wie Irland, dem Backstop, Boris Johnson oder der britischen Verfassung liefern dabei essenzielle Hintergrundinformationen aus Bereichen, die den Brexit maßgeblich mitbestimmen. Zusammen mit dem ersten Band bietet dieses Buch die gegenwärtig umfassendste Analyse des Brexit-Prozesses.

This Palgrave Policy Essential considers the security and defence consequences of Brexit for the UK and the European Union. It considers the place of security and defence in the debates leading up to the Brexit referendum as well as in its follow-up. Importantly, the book also traces recent developments in the EU towards what may become a European Defence Union and, in light of this, considers how realistic the UK's aspirations for a unique relationship with the Union are. The book includes a critical analysis of the consequences of Brexit for crisis management, internal security and defence industries in the UK and EU. It concludes with an examination of the options and legal tools available to both parties as they frame their post-Brexit security and defence relations.

This interdisciplinary book examines Brexit from a political economy perspective, enriched by insights from scholars of political science, history and law. Shedding light on the key motivations for Brexit, this incisive book seeks to better understand what shapes the UK's political and economic preferences and the fundamental causes and issues that have moulded its stance on the EU.Political issues explored include the political rationality of Brexit and the reasons for the UK's unsustainable position in the EU, specific UK sovereignty concerns in the absence of a written constitution, the issue of preferences, and the UK's prospective standing in the world post EU exit. Economic considerations such as the root causes of Brexit, examination of the properties of the single market and EU regulation, including the issue of the City of London, and the importance played by subjective wellbeing rather than economic growth are investigated, as well as the challenges to be confronted post-Brexit.The Politics and Economics of Brexit will be a key resource for scholars and students interested in the European Union, European governance and political economics. Analysing the Brexit impasse from 2016-2019, this comprehensive book will also be valuable to those working in comparative politics, international relations, business and industry.

Offering a wealth of thought-provoking insights, this topical Research Handbook analyses the interplay between the law and politics of the EU and examines the role of law and legal actors in European integration.Expert contributors from international and interdisciplinary backgrounds set the politics of EU law in both a historical and contemporary context, exploring the relations between different EU institutions across a variety of substantive policy areas. Identifying the main sites of interaction between law and politics, chapters highlight key theoretical insights providing an in-depth understanding of the field. With up-to-date coverage of the latest developments, this Research Handbook analyses the impact of Brexit, economic and financial crises, migration crises and important trends for law and governance.Discerning and forward-thinking, this Research Handbook will be key reading for students and scholars of European law, European politics, and those with an interest in exploring the interface between the two. Its accessible approach will also engage practitioners in EU law and politics, including lawyers and national government and EU institution officials.

Featuring international contributions from leading and emerging scholars, this innovative Research Handbook presents a panoramic view of how law sees visual art, and how visual art sees law. It resists the conventional approach to art and law as inherently dissonant - one a discipline preoccupied with rationality, certainty and objectivity; the other a creative enterprise ensconced in the imaginary and inviting multiple, unique and subjective interpretations. Blending these two distinct disciplines, this unique Research Handbook bridges the gap between art and law.This highly original Research Handbook provides stimulating and provocative discussions that bring together multiple perspectives on how art and law relate to each other in all of their various manifestations, across diverse legal regimes, fields, contexts, and times. With the objective of starting an interdisciplinary dialogue on visual art and the law, this Research Handbook reflects the varied voices of lawyers, artists, criminologists and curators, and engages with broad notions of the two fields, exploring established themes alongside new areas and unfamiliar questions. Wide-ranging and accessible, the Research Handbook on Art and Law will be of interest to law students and scholars engaged with the fields of law and the visual arts, as well as copyright lawyers, art historians and socio-legal scholars.

Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary.This innovative Research Agenda draws together discussions on the conceptualization of territory and the ways in which territory and territorial practices are intimately bound with issues of power and control. Expert contributors provide a critical assessment of key areas of scholarship on territory and territoriality across a wide range of spatial scales and with examples drawn from the global landscape. After an introduction to shifting ideas of territory, territoriality and sovereignty, the book deals with territory in its more traditional macro-scale sense at the level of the nation-state before going on to explore questions of territory, identity and belonging at a more micro-scale focusing on issues of citizenship, inclusion and exclusion.A Research Agenda for Territory and Territoriality will be a key resource for scholars and students in geopolitics and social and cultural geography, whilst also being a thought-provoking read for those interested in nations and nationalism, sovereignty, conflict, citizenship, and territory, place and locality.

The debate on the United Kingdom’s plans for exiting the European Union is all too often considered from an Anglo (even London) centric perspective. Such assessments tend to overlook the regional dimension and the devolution of powers to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales in the late 1990s. Each nation has their own perspective on the implications of Brexit. The challenge for the three devolved administrations is to influence the formation of the British negotiating position. No other part of the UK will be affected as much by Brexit than Northern Ireland. It is a unique case given the border with the Irish Republic. This chapter presents the Northern Irish dimension to Brexit and stresses that some form of special consideration to Northern Ireland may either be wanted or pursued by London. McGowan argues that a failure to recognise political realities and regional sensitivities that Brexit has aroused within the two main communities in Northern Ireland could unsettle the foundations of the peace process and raises questions about the constitutional status of this part of the UK.