Hope and History

Description

The unique inside story, revealing the truth behind the headlines of how the peace process was begun and how it was brought to fruition. Gerry Adams has brought his revolutionary movement on an extraordinary journey from armed insurrection to active participation in government. An author as well as an activist, he brings a vivid sense of immediacy and a writer's understanding of narrative to this story of the triumph of hope in what was long considered an intractable bloody conflict. He conveys the tensions of the peace process, the sense of teetering on the brink, and he has a sharp eye and acute ear for the more humorous foibles of political allies and enemies alike. Both a personal and a political narrative, "Hope and History" continues the story begun in "Before the Dawn" (Heinemann/Brandon 1996), from the turning point of the republican hunger strikes. He reveals previously unpublished details of the secret origins of the peace process; covert talks between Republicans and the British government; the Irish-American role and meetings in the White House; the South African role; differences within the Republican movement and the emergence of 'dissidents'; the breakdown of the first IRA cessation; the final negotiations: what was agreed and what was promised. He paints revealing portraits of the other leading characters in the drama that was acted out through ceasefires and stand-offs, discussions andconfrontations. Amongst these are Tony Blair, Mo Mowlam, Martin McGuinness, Bill and Hilary Clinton, Jean Kennedy Smith, David Trimble, John Hume Nelson Mandela and George Mitchell.