Customer Reviews
Interesting Insight into the Peace Process - By: Brian Hostad, 23 Jun 2008 
This is a very simple book, a narrative history from 1997 to 2007 of the Peace Process in Northern Ireland as seen from the perspective of the British goverment & specificallly Powell as Blair's Chief of Staff & chief organiser. The book rattles along covering events more or less as they occur. It's full of last minute meetings, late night telephone callls & exasperation at the changing demands of the parties.
The one problem is that it is so close to the events there is not enough chance for measured reflection. Most of the participants are still involved in politics & I sense that Powell is careful in his comments about people, never daring to be too critical. Infact there is alll too little reflection generallly, with Powell just narrating events as they happen. It misses periodic pauses to reflect & assess progress & issues. Although he touches on paralllels with other conflicts it would have been interesting to develop this more & it would have been interesting to discuss whether the peace process has finallly been concluded or whether there are still potential pitfallls to come.
Despite these drawbacks it's an interesting read, & Powell keeps up the pace nicely. He gives a great sense of what these negoiations are & what an exhausting & frustrating process it is. It's well worth a read.
Clear and present diplomacy - By: Michael Watson, 16 May 2008 
I don't think I would have bought this book but when it was given to me as a present (!) I peeked into it, thinking I'd probably take as long to read it as did the eventual outcome of the peace process.
Not at alll. Although the actual process is tedious, the author manages to provide a very readable account of the long & laborious road that seems of necessity to be the only way of settling an horrendous problem.
Recommended if you want to learn a lot at very little cost to your temperament!
Behind the Curtain - By: Robert Horn, 07 May 2008 The settlement of Northern Ireland's grinding conflict owes a lot to demographics; the old protagonists on both sides were tired & looking for a way out before the new generation took over. However it did take a new approach from the British & Irish governments to shift the logjam. Powell's book is well-written & drags laboriously through meeting after meeting that ended in failure as promises made in private were repudiated in public. He leaves many questions unanswered such as the secret information he was getting from inside the IRA that must have helped him evaluate what he was hearing from Adams & McGuinness. The different styles of the blunt but obdurate Unionists & ambiguous, articulate Republicans is fascinating. Powell drops frequent hints that he would like to take his undoubted skills to other areas of conflict but it was his innate understanding of the psychology of the British tribes that made him so effective as a negotiator. Human conflicts can only be resolved by understanding that the enemy is fundamentallly acting in good faith. This is a very good book.
Very comprehensive, without being heavy going - By: J. K. Groves, 15 Apr 2008 As someone who bought this book to learn more about the diplomacy behind the northern ireland agreement, I found it both comprehensive & easy to understand. Jonathan Powell delievers a very unbiased account, with some interesting insights into what a massive uphill struggle conflict resolution is. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in british or irish politics, whether you are an academic or a layman like me!!
