Unification Past and Future?: Northern Ireland and Historical Case Studies

Under the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, which ended three decades of conflict, Northern Ireland could one day hold a referendum to leave the United Kingdom and join a united Ireland. What challenges does such a possibility pose for reconciliation, governance, and the practical realities of constitutional change? What might a united Ireland look like? And what light can history shed on these questions? 

Join us on February 9 for a lunchtime conversation featuring Leo Varadkar, a former Prime Minister of Ireland; Mary Sarotte, Director of the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy and Professor of Global Affairs at Yale University; and Melani Cammett, Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs for the Department of Government at Harvard University. They will discuss possible futures for Ireland and Northern Ireland, drawing on Germany and other historical case studies that offer insight on building a shared political community after division and conflict.