The Troubles: 1981 Chair: Evan Liebgott Co-Chair: Braden Goodwin Crisis Director: Thomas Poole University of North Carolina Model United Nations Conference November 2 - 4, 2018 University of North Carolina 2 Table of Contents Letter from the Crisis Director 3 Letter from the Chair 4 The English in Ireland: A Brief Summary 5 Committee Topics 12 Positions 14 3 Letter from the Crisis Director Dear Delegates, I’m excited to welcome you to UNCMUNC X, and to our committee, The Troubles: 1981. My name is Thomas Poole and I am a sophomore here at UNC Chapel Hill studying Political Science and Chinese. I was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, and participated in MUN for three years at Enloe High School. The tumultuous relationship between Ireland and the United Kingdom, specifically the Troubles, are subjects that I have been interested in for a while, and also subjects that I thought would translate well to the world of MUN. The IRA, and the United Ireland movement as a whole, could have gone in many different directions during this period, and ultimately chose a path of violence. I’m interested to see where you all will differ in your approach, if at all, and if you will ultimately succeed where your real life counterparts failed. No matter what, I’m sure there will be plenty of insane crisis arcs, heated debates, and probably a cheeky betrayal or two. I can’t wait to meet you all this November. Tiocfaidhárlá, Thomas Poole, Crisis Director [email protected] 4 Letter from the Chair Dear Delegates, Welcome to UNCMUNC X and the Troubles committee. My name is Evan Liebgott and I am a sophomore majoring in economics with a minor in Spanish. In my free time, I enjoy reading nonfiction, watching television, going to the gym, and hanging out in the arboretum. I grew up in Cincinnati, OH and relocated to Greensboro, NC during high school. I never had the opportunity to do MUN during high school so I just picked it up last fall, and it has been one of the best parts of my college experience! In fact, this is my first time ever chairing a committee! I am really looking forward to hearing all the ideas you guys have regarding the issues facing the IRA. Best, Evan Liebgott, Chair [email protected] 5 The English in Ireland: A Brief Summary The Normans Arriving in Ireland in 1169 For most of history before the twelfth century, the Irish and English engaged in a peaceful coexistence. However, the Norman invasion drastically changed the power dynamics between the Irish and their neighbors across the Irish Sea. With England united under a powerful monarch, the Normans were quick to take advantage of the weaker Irish petty-kings. Invasions in 1169 and 1170 would establish Norman rule over most of Ireland for the next 350 years. Over the course of those three and a half centuries, English authority over Ireland slowly eroded as they turned their focus to the continent and the ongoing Hundred Years’ War. The Fitzgerald's had become de-facto rulers of Ireland, and were increasingly resisting English rule. This prompted Henry VIII to invade in 1536 and attempt to re-establish control. However, this was easier said than done. The Tudor Reconquest of Ireland took more than 60 years to complete, and left hundreds of thousands dead. Following the long and violent series of wars to take back Ireland, the English wanted to take measures to ensure future passivity. In 1609, King James I began colonizing the northern third of Ireland, giving large tracts of land, known as plantations, away to eager settlers. This mass migration of Scottish and English colonists led to the dilution of Irish 6 culture and language in the Ulster region, as well as religion. The English desired to pacify Ireland, and thought that an influx of protestants and English speakers would help quell dissent. These differences would be the spark for many future sectarian conflicts, including the Troubles. The Ulster Plantation’s disastrous effects quickly became clear. During the seventeenth century, the English and Irish fought two religious wars. The Irish Wars of Confederation and the Williamite War would, combined, lead to the deaths of almost 1 million people, and further establish the Anglican Church in Ireland. In 1695, after the end of these conflicts, the English passed penal laws in order to further restrict the rights of Catholics and other denominations. Tensions would boil over again in 1798, when 50,000 Irish dissidents rose up in what would be known as the United Irishmen Rebellion. Even with foreign support from the French, the rebellion was a failure. As punishment, Ireland was stripped of its union status, had its parliament dissolved, and was fully incorporated into the new United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Though there was sporadic violence during the nineteenth century, there was not much traction for a large-scale uprising like the Irish Rebellion of 1798. Rather, much of the conflict took place in the halls of Parliament. The Irish Parliamentary Party fought tooth and nail for much of the second half of the century to achieve “Home Rule”, which was the 7 reinstatement of the Irish parliament. In 1914, it looked like Home Rule was finally going to become a reality. However, the onset of the First World War caused the British to delay the implementation of Home Rule. Irish anger over this, combined with concerns of British military weakness due to the ongoing war and threats of forced conscription led to rapidly rising tensions. This set the stage for young revolutionary Padraig Pearse to lead a daring rebellion. On Easter Sunday, 1916, Pearse would lead a revolution known today as the Easter Rising. Though the rebels were successful at first, heavy shelling by the Royal Navy eventually force Pearse to stand down. Following the Easter Rising, many of the ringleaders were extra-judicially executed. Though the attempt to seize Dublin and found a new Irish parliament ultimately failed, the revolutionaries and their leaders became martyrs. Peace would not last for long. In January of 1919, the Irish War of Independence began. Led by heroes like Michael Collins and Easter Rising veterans Cathal Brugha and Éamon de Valera, the war lasted two years. While a peace treaty was signed in 1921, the A group of soldiers march through Dublin 8 violence continued. Critically, the treaty allowed for Ulster to remain a part of the U.K. and turned Ireland into a dominion under the British, giving the Irish more autonomy. In 1922 the Irish Civil War broke out between pro-treaty and anti-treaty forces. Tragically, many of those who had fought together mere months ago were fighting and killing each other, and many of the Independence movement leaders perished. In 1923 the Civil War ended with an anti-treaty victory, bringing a semblance of peace to the Emerald Island for the next 40 years. Following the partition in 1921, Catholics faced extensive discrimination in Northern Ireland. The Irish civil rights movement began in the early 60s to combat housing and job discrimination, and A civil rights demonstration in Northern Ireland also unfair political practices such as gerrymandering and voting restrictions. While the movement remained peaceful for many years, it soon sparked a 30 year long wave of violence known as the Troubles. In response to Irish demands for civil rights, Ulster loyalists became increasingly militant, trying to disperse the crowds by force. Over time both sides would build up their military capabilities until, in 1969, forces from both sides clashed for two days in Derry. 9 Even though British security forces tried to stamp out the conflict, violence quickly spread across Northern Ireland. The IRA, a name that had been used on and off since the 1860s, was re-founded in 1969 with the goal of defending nationalist neighborhoods in Northern Ireland. However, the Loyalists and Republicans clash in the streets of Derry group quickly began splitting over politics and strategy. Some members were staunch Marxists and supported a defense- only strategy. Others were left-leaning nationalists, and supported introducing offensive attacks into their repertoire. This would lead to the creation of the Marxist Original IRA, and the nationalist Provisional IRA. Over the next two years, violence continued, but peaked in 1972. In January of that year, British security forces shot 13 Irish men dead at a peaceful protest in Derry, an event that came to be known as Bloody Sunday. The public was outraged and enrollment in the pro-retaliation Provisional IRA increased sharply. The Original IRA, dwarfed by their rival organization, disbanded in May. Due to the rapidly escalating violence and the perceived incompetence of the ruling Northern Ireland government, the United Kingdom established temporary direct rule. In 10 1973, they held elections for the newly established “Northern Ireland Assembly”, which was meant to divide power between nationalists and unionists. His new government signed the Sunningdale Agreement, a treaty that would have created a power-sharing agreement between the Nationalists and the Unionists. However, neither side was all that enthusiastic about it, especially the Unionists, who viewed it was a betrayal by the British. A massive general strike and boycott forced the agreement to be voided in 1974. The PIRA’s initial strategy was to force the United Kingdom to withdraw by inflicting heavy losses on the military and undermining British public support for the conflict, much like the IRA’s strategy during the War of Independence. However, as the conflict continued throughout the mid and late 70s, the IRA decided to begin a new strategy known as The Long War.