Northern Ireland’s Uncertain Peace with Katy Hayward

Twenty-five years after the Good Friday Agreement brought an uneasy peace to Northern Ireland, this episode sees Ivan Vejvoda engage in an enlightening conversation with Queen's University Belfast's Katy Hayward as they examine the fragile stability and uncertain future status of the region in the wake of Brexit's destabilizing impact. Hayward provides insight into Northern Ireland's changing demographics, the sporadic functioning of the power-sharing government, declining trust between communities, the rise of hardline parties over moderates, the passionate commitment yet precarious position of civil society groups devoted to reconciliation and offering support to the vulnerable - as well as the critical need to restore robust democratic institutions and processes. While cautious about predicting violence, Hayward makes a compelling case that the current political vacuum threatens hard-won progress as the region's unresolved tensions continue to simmer.

2023/24 Europe's Futures Fellow Katy Hayward is a distinguished Professor of Political Sociology at Queen's University Belfast, where she also directs the Centre for International Borders Research. She has published extensively on Northern Ireland, the Good Friday Agreement, Brexit, borders and related issues. Hayward engages globally through briefings, media commentary and advising governments and organizations. She has received recognition for both her scholarly work and public communication regarding Northern Ireland's past, present and future challenges.