The Rocky Road to Decommissioning: Revisiting the Decommissioning of Irish Republican Army Weapons Part 1 – August 1994 to October 2001

Decommissioning of paramilitary weapons formed a crucial part of Northern Ireland’s peace process. But the decommissioning of Irish Republican Army (IRA) weapons (the most prominent paramilitary group) was protracted prior to their first decommissioning act in October 2001. Some scholars argue Republicans deliberately strung-out decommissioning to gain concessions. Others concur but also suggest additional factors, including Irish Republican anger at the slow delivery of British reforms. Using the latest Irish and UK archival releases alongside memoirs and interviews, I provide fresh insight into IRA decommissioning up to October 2001. The central problem was the initial lack of movement on political and security reforms by the British Government and Ulster Unionists. As the conflict ended in a stalemate, Republicans believed political and security reforms were required alongside decommissioning. The Good Friday Agreement also stipulated that decommissioning would be paralleled by other reforms. This article uniquely explains how a British Government sense of neutrality towards managing the peace process alongside the British Army’s reluctance to demilitarise stalled decommissioning. It offers ideas on how not to introduce and initially manage decommissioning during peace processes.