The conflict in Northern Ireland is one of the most violent and long-lasting conflicts in Europe after 1945. So far, it has caused about 3600 deaths, tens of thousands of wounded people and enormous economic damage. This conflict does not only affect Northern Ireland itself, but also the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain as 'outside' conflict protagonists. Since these states are members of the European Union, the Northern Ireland conflict is also an all-European issue. This book deals with the development of the Northern Ireland peace process since 1998, its roots and its background. Furthermore, the book includes an introduction with data and statistics, a concise overview of the history of the conflict and basic information on the main conflict protagonists. Thus, a multi-level analysis of the existing literature, of journals, newspaper articles and of other material is drawn up.