Security System Reform and Identity in Divided Societies: Lessons from Northern Ireland

Mary O'Rawe
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In societies split dysfunctionally and violently along evident identity fault lines, the challenge of guaranteeing security requires not piecemeal reform of police and/or military organizations, but a holistic, "whole of governance" approach. How different identities are recognized and accommodated in terms of garnering support for the SSR process through the design and implementation of specific reforms can be central to the legitimacy and success of the SSR project.