“The existence and cohesion of these paramilitary groups since their cease-fires has played an important role in enabling the transition from extreme violence to political progress,” it asserted. This was a counterintuitive finding, and a subtle enough point that it was overlooked in the storm of press coverage that greeted the report. The continued existence of republican and loyalist outfits didn’t hurt the peace process—but helped it. It was because of the “authority” conferred by these persisting hierarchies that such groups were able to “influence, restrain and manage” their members, the
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