Aaron Edwards Knihy

Spanning 38 years of the 'Troubles', the British Army's deployment in Northern Ireland (codenamed Operation Banner) was one of the most difficult and controversial in its recent history. Over 10,000 troops were on active service during much of the campaign, which saw armoured vehicles, helicopters and special forces deployed onto the streets of Ulster. In this book, Dr Aaron Edwards considers the strategic, operational and tactical aspects of Operation Banner, as the Army's military objectives morphed from high-profile peacekeeping into a covert war against the IRA. Using personal testimony from both sides of the sectarian divide, as well as insights from the soldiers themselves, he presents an authoritative introduction to the Army's role in the Troubles, providing expert analysis of Operation Banner's successes and failures.

Recruited by British Intelligence to infiltrate the IRA and Sinn Féin during the height of the Northern Ireland Troubles, they were ‘agents of influence’. With codenames like INFLICTION, STAKEKNIFE, 3007 and CAROL, these spies played a pivotal role in the fight against Irish republicanism. Now, for the first time, some of these agents have emerged from the shadows to tell their compelling stories. Agents of Influence takes you behind the scenes of the secret intelligence war which helped bring the IRA’s armed struggle to an end. Historian Aaron Edwards, the critically acclaimed author of UVF: Behind the Mask, explains how the IRA was penetrated by British agents, with explosive new revelations about the hidden agendas of prominent republicans like Martin McGuinness and Freddie Scappaticci and lesser-known ones like Joe Haughey and John Joe Magee. Bringing to light recently declassified TOP SECRET documents and the first-hand testimonies of agents and their handlers, Edwards reveals how British Intelligence gained extraordinary access to the IRA’s inner circle and manipulated them into engaging with the peace process. With new insights into the spy masters behind the scenes, their strategies and tactics, and operations in Europe, the United States and beyond, Agents of Influence offers a rare and shocking glimpse into betrayal at the heart of Irish republicanism during the vicious decades of the Troubles.

The Brexit referendum of 2016 triggered one of the most profoundconstitutional crises in modern British history. A wave of populistnationalism gave way to political and economic instability, throwingthe future of the United Kingdom into sharp relief. The ScottishNational Party saw an opportunity to press for a second referendumon Scottish independence with Irish republicans lobbying the BritishGovernment for a border poll in a move to help secure their goal ofa United Ireland. For Unionists in Northern Ireland, a referendum thatbegan on the question of sovereignty quickly degenerated into criesof betrayal and a redrawn border in the Irish Sea.Extraordinary uncertainty now hangs over the future of the Unionbetween Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland' scentenary year, military and political historian Aaron Edwards, anative of Belfast, explores the profound challenges facing Unionists.He reflects upon the past century of political turbulence on theseislands, the effects of Republican violence on the Unionist psycheand the embattlement of a people who believe themselves to beonce again under siege.