Together in the middle: Back-channel negotiation in the Irish peace process
| DOI | 10.1177/0022343311417982 |
| Published date | 01 November 2011 |
| Author | Niall Ó Dochartaigh |
| Date | 01 November 2011 |
| Subject Matter | Research Articles |
Together in the middle: Back-channel
negotiation in the Irish peace process
Niall O
´Dochartaigh
School of Political Science and Sociology, National University of Ireland, Galway
Abstract
This article examines the development of cooperative relationships in back-channel communication and their impact
on intraparty negotiation. It draws on extensive newly available evidence on back-channel communication in the
Irish peace process to expand the range of detailed case studies on a topic which is shrouded in secrecy and resistant
to academic inquiry. The article analyses the operation of a secret back channel that linked the Irish Republican Army
to the British government over a period of 20 years, drawing on unique material from the private papers of the inter-
mediary, Brendan Duddy, and a range of other primary sources. The article finds that interaction through this back
channel increased predictability and laid a foundation of extremely limited trust by providing information and
increasing mutual understanding. Strong cooperative relationships developed at the intersection between the two
sides, based to a great extent on strong interpersonal relationships and continuity in personnel. This in turn produced
direct pressure for changes in the position of parties as negotiators acted as advocates of movement in intraparty nego-
tiations. The article finds that this back channel was characterized by a short chain, the direct involvement of prin-
cipals and the establishment of a single primary channel of communication and that these features combined with
secrecy to generate the distinctive cooperative dynamics identified in this article. It concludes that the potential for
the development of cooperative relationships is particularly strong in back-channel negotiation for two reasons; first,
the joint project of secrecy creates an ongoing shared task that builds trust and mutual understanding regardless of
progress in the negotiations. Secondly, as a shared project based on the explicit aim of bypassing spoilers, the process
creates structural pressures for cooperation to manage internal opponents on both sides, pressures intensified by the
secrecy of the process.
Keywords
back channel, mediation, negotiation, Northern Ireland, peace process
Introduction
Back-channel communication is an ubiquitous feature of
negotiation and conflict resolution processes (Pruitt,
2008). It takes widely varying forms but all back chan-
nels are united by one key feature: their covert character.
The resultant exclusion of audiences is aimed at prevent-
ing those audiences from shaping the character of that
communication, from disrupting such communication
or from using it to attack and damage the parties to com-
munication. The secrecy that defines back-channel com-
munication presents major methodological challenges,
particularly because it can remain cloaked in secrecy for
decades afterwards. This secrecy is a major obstacle to the
development of our understanding of its value in conflict
resolution efforts and is an important part of the explana-
tion for the paucity of literature on the topic.
This article draws on extensive newly available evi-
dence on back-channel communication in the Irish
Peace Process to advance the literature by extending the
range of detailed case studies. It draws on the recently
available papers of Brendan Duddy, the intermediary
who acted as a link between the British government and
Corresponding author:
niall.odochartaigh@nuigalway.ie
Journal of Peace Research
48(6) 767–780
ªThe Author(s) 2011
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DOI: 10.1177/0022343311417982
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