Making Peace

I read this book 4 years ago and thought of it again today when I heard that President Obama had named Senator Mitchell as special envoy to the Middle East. A great read about what seemed to be an endless conflict. Read this book and be thankful that the skills brought to bear on the troubles in Nothern Ireland are now at work to find a peaceful solution in an even more troubled part of the world.

Senator Mitchell deserves tremendous respect for his (continuing) role in the Northern Ireland peace process. This book delivers a clear and consise account of his participation in the events that led up to the Good Friday agreement. We get glimpses of all the major players and many unsung heroes who worked behind the scenes.Perhaps in reaction to the long-winded Irish politicians he uses a very broad brush to describe the events and often condenses days of complex talks into a few sentences. This is not, as I initially hoped, a detailed description of the negotiations. But it does portray the kind of patience and determination that was needed to pull everything together and gives a taste of the complexity of the political situation around Northern Ireland. It's a nice read for anyone, but especially geared for the average American.

grea