An arduous journey to peace

'Making Peace'
by George J. Mitchell

Alfred A. Knopf, $24

Review by L.D. Meagher

May 7, 1999
Web posted at: 12:56 p.m. EDT (1656 GMT)

(CNN) -- The conflict in Northern Ireland didn't begin with "The Troubles" of the late 1960's. The animosities fueling that violence had festered for centuries. They were ingrained in the cultures of Northern Irish Protestants and Catholics alike. Bringing the two sides to a peaceful accommodation would not happen overnight.

But when former United States Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell first became involved in the province's peace effort, he had no idea it would consume more than three years of his life, requiring much of his energy and all the considerable skills he'd honed during his career in politics.

In "Making Peace," Mitchell recounts his arduous journey from minor functionary to key player in the quest for a settlement in Northern Ireland. The book is part diplomatic history, part personal recollection. It's also a touchingly human account of the people who made peace in Northern Ireland possible.

It all started with a trade conference. After he retired from the Senate, Mitchell was asked by the Clinton White House to help organize a meeting aimed at reviving the economy of Northern Ireland. There, he met many of the people who would come to dominate the debate on finding a path toward peace.

As a result of the conference, he was asked to join an international effort in "decommissioning", or disarming the paramilitary forces on both sides of the conflict. From that grew the final push for a comprehensive settlement in Northern Ireland, with Mitchell as serving as chairman -- a role that made him a lightning rod for harsh words and ill will from all sides.

Mitchell is diligent in giving credit to all those he believes played a vital role in reaching the Good Friday Agreement. He's also takes pains to identify the obstacles -- people and events -- that repeatedly threatened the peace process.

And he's honest about his own serious misgivings. At one point, he was ready to call it quits. A long session of soul-searching kept him from pulling out of the peace talks.

"I was in a position to help. I didn't seek or expect it, but it was a reality. How could I turn away from it now? I had been taught that each human being has an obligation to help those in need; I had preached the same thing to young Americans countless times. Did I really believe what I said? And if I did leave, and the war resumed, how could I reconcile myself to the deaths that would result, deaths that might have been prevented if I had stuck with it?"

The issues that have divided Northern Ireland for centuries are thorny and deep-seated. Just raising them can be an invitation to rancor, invective, and even violence, as Mitchell witnessed all too often in his role as peacemaker.

But he felt all along that the leaders of Northern Ireland did not fully appreciate the weariness of war that had settled on the people of Northern Ireland. Once it became clear that public sentiment was overwhelmingly in favor of peace, a settlement became possible, even inevitable.

"Making Peace" is a revealing glimpse behind the scenes of high-stakes diplomacy. Mitchell's understated narrative of the Northern Ireland negotiations makes the final outcome seem all the more remarkable.

Not only was Mitchell instrumental in making peace, he was afforded the rare opportunity to have a hand in making history.

L.D. Meagher is a News Editor at CNN Headline News. He has worked in broadcasting for 30 years.