Abstract
The development of trust between politicians and leaders as part of a peace process is usually seen as an essential, if difficult part of achieving a political agreement. While such trust building between politicians and societal leaders was not completely absent in Northern Ireland, it was usually fleeting in the face of on-going and apparently intractable social and political violence. It was the development of institutions that helped develop trust among and between the wider communities through governmental, security, educational and community institutions that was eventually to prove the critical factor in achieving enough trust in the region to embark upon a sustainable peace process. In addition, the development of ‘bridging’ and ‘linking’ social capital through a more robust and interconnected civil society was also crucial to the eventual development of a political peace deal. Such work provided many necessary conduits for communications between the traditional politicians. In addition it spawned a new breed of community politicians mainly from working class communities, and from women community leaders, who were essential to the eventual peace agreement.
