The Northern Ireland Conflict - How the State to Nation Imbalance Caused a Centuries' Conflict

Essay from the year 2011 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: Peace and Conflict Studies, Security, grade: 1,3, University of Haifa (International School), course: Honors Seminar in Peace and Conflict Studies: Regional Conflict, language: English, abstract: Throughout history, it has always been Protestants against Catholics and vice versa, with some more and some less violent phases. Although the clashes appeared between those two religious groups, it is important to notice that this conflict is no longer about religion, but about politics. It is about the future of the Northern Irish state, whether it will remain part of the United Kingdom (UK) or whether it will become part of the Republic of Ireland. The majority of Protestants support the first option whereas the majority of Catholics support the latter. But that is only a coincidence, they are competing nations and not competing religions, since neither side denies the other's religion's right to exist. I argue that this conflict perfectly illustrates how contradicting identities and interests can cause a conflict, especially if the state is too weak to control the different forces within its territory.