The role of an intermediary in back-channel negotiation

Evidence from the Brendan Duddy papers

Bibliographic Data

ID8092560
AuthorsNiall Ó Dochartaigh (0000-0002-0539-7727, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway, corresponding author)
Year2011
Volume4
Issue3
Pages214-225
Publication date2011-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueDynamics of Asymmetric Conflict (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1746-7594 • E-ISSN: 1746-7586
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17467586.2011.633091
OpenAlexW2169906123
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited1

This article draws on the newly available private papers of Brendan Duddy, the key intermediary in contacts between the British government and the IRA between the early 1970s and the early 1990s when the IRA moved towards a permanent ceasefire and a negotiated settlement of the conflict. It draws too on extensive interviews with Duddy and other key participants in these contacts, and on newly available documents from the UK National Archives to identify some of the key dimensions to the role of intermediary in back-channel communication. It argues that these sources help us to better understand the complexity and ambiguity of the role of intermediary in sensitive covert negotiations, as well as shedding light on the extent to which an intermediary shapes communication between two parties rather than simply acting as a channel between them

Ambiguity · Business · Channel (broadcasting · Computer security · Covert · Government (linguistics · Key (lock · Negotiation · Political economy · Political science · Settlement (finance · Sociology · Telecommunications · Computer Science · Engineering · Irish and British Studies · Law

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