Legacies of Wartime Order: Punishment Attacks and Control in Northern Ireland

• In Event: Central and Local Actors in Conflict and Peace Processes

Abstract

A growing body of research explores how non-state actors create informal institutions to maintain social order during conflict, yet there is little systematic knowledge of the legacy of wartime orders. The remnants of informal wartime institutions form a key challenge for governments in post-conflict societies in their attempts to re-establish themselves as legitimate authorities. We investigate the forms of social control left behind by paramilitary organizations in Northern Ireland. The persistence of so-called ‘punishment attacks’ offers insights into informal ‘justice’ systems. Despite the Good Friday Agreement’s success in maintaining peace, many communities remain afflicted by paramilitary groups that try to impose social control through violent attacks. The paper combines historical analysis, interviews with stakeholders, geo-coded data on paramilitary groups’ attacks, and survey data on people’s perceptions of informal and formal authorities to understand how and to what extent wartime orders continue to shape social control in fringes of post-war society.

Authors

• Kristin Marie Bakke, University College London

• Christopher Rickard, Mr