© Columbia University Press
Talking to Terrorists: Making Peace in Northern Ireland and the Basque Country
April, 2009
Cloth, 256 pages,
ISBN: 978-0-231-15418-5
$27.50
"According to this marvelous new study, Talking to Terrorists . . . there are serious reasons to doubt that the model of conflict resolution relied on here is an accurate account of what actually happened in Northern Ireland." — Gary Schmitt, The Weekly Standard
"This provocative book is a useful corrective to recent work on terrorism and conflict resolution. I believe it should be read by policymakers and practitioners, many of whom continue to be blinded by the apparent success of the Northern Ireland peace process and will benefit from the powerful counterarguments." — Stephen Hopkins, University of Leicester
"Talking to Terrorists is a dangerous book, one that will disturb those who maintain that states should never talk to terrorist groups and others who believe that states should always do so. As the three authors demonstrate through expert case studies, reality is far more complex. The political context in which talks take place, their timing, how they are conducted, whether they impose preconditions, and whether negotiations are part of a larger strategy for peaceful resolution are all essential in determining the wisdom of engagement and likelihood of success. Talking to Terrorists combines first-rate scholarship with relevant policy analysis, illuminating a shadowy diplomatic history that can help states decide if it may be advantageous to talk to their enemies. It is by far the best book to date on a widely misunderstood, contentious, and important issue."" — Mitchell B. Reiss, U.S. Special Envoy to the Northern Ireland Peace Process, 2003 to 2007, and vice-provost of international affairs, College of William and Mary
"Those who say 'we must talk to the terrorists' should read this book. Some will be surprised to see just how much talking there was in Spain and Northern Ireland. However, the authors make crucial distinctions between different forms of communication with terrorists. They show how talking in the wrong context can make matters worse. Eventually, in Northern Ireland, the right conditions for talking were meticulously established, with largely successful results. Sadly, this success was partly undermined when the government lost sight of the conditions for the initial peace." — Rt. Hon. the Lord David Trimble, Nobel Peace Laureate 1998 and former First Minister of Northern Ireland, 1998 to 2002
"This book is a welcome corrective to the idea that soft power is the only fruitful strategy in the fight against terrorism. It reminds us of the crucial role played by the security services in making the terrorists realize they could not win by bullets and bombs, creating a more stable atmosphere in which talks might finally succeed." — General the Lord Charles Guthrie, former chief of the defence staff and former chief of the general staff of the British Army
"With leading members of Sinn Fein descending on the world's trouble-spots to teach the 'lessons' of the Northern Irish peace process, this book is a bracing corrective to the conventional wisdom that talking to terrorists is a prerequisite for putting an end to violent conflicts." — Henry Patterson, University of Ulster