The book examines how the Belfast Agreement came about and its effect on unionism, nationalism, the paramilitaries, electoral support for local parties and the constitutional position of Northern Ireland. It also considers the extent to which the Agreement may be regarded as an exercise in political cynicism or the basis for lasting peace.

BRIAN BARTON tutors in history with the Open University, and has authored or edited eleven books on Irish history and politics. These include,Secret Court Martial Records of the 1916 Easter Rising, andThe Easter Rising (co-author with Michael Foy). He also contributed chapters on Northern Ireland toA New History of Ireland, Vol. 8.PATRICK J. ROCHE was Lecturer in Economics at the University of Ulster, UK (1974-96) and a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (1998-2003). Publications include a contribution on contemporary Irish nationalism to Jurgen Elvert (ed),Northern Ireland: Past and Present, and co-editor (with Brian Barton) of three books on theNorthern Ireland question including,The Northern Ireland Question: Nationalism, Unionism and Partition.

Introduction; B.Barton& P.Roche The Historical Background to the Belfast Agreement; B.Barton Negotiating the Belfast Agreement; T.Hennessey Implementing Devolved Government 1999-2002; G.Gudgin The Belfast Agreement and the Constitutional Status of Northern Ireland; A.Morgan The Electoral Dynamics of the Belfast Agreement; S.Elliott Unionism and the Belfast Agreement; C.Farrington Northern Nationalism and the Belfast Agreement; C.McGrattan Republican Paramilitaries and the Peace Process; J.Tonge Loyalist Paramilitaries and the Peace Process; I.Wood The Belfast Agreement and Southern Irish Politics; C.O'Donnell The United States and the Peace Process; A.Guelke The Triumph of the Belfast Agreement; P.Bew The Case against the Belfast Agreement; D.Kennedy Conclusion; B.Barton& P.Roche