'The Morning After'

Monica McWilliams, emeritus professor at Ulster University’s Transitional Justice Institute and a founding member of the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition, brought firsthand experience from her work on the Northern Ireland peace agreement. She spoke about the challenges of negotiating with opposing sides that often questioned each other’s legitimacy. “How do you engage in a conversation about equality and fairness when one side doesn’t even believe the other is entitled to any of that?” she asked. Then she provided a practical model based on her experience. 

“We formed a coalition. It was diverse. It was pluralist. I was a wiser person as a result of listening to someone on the other side,” said McWilliams. 

McWilliams warned of the social consequences of a hostile political landscape. She noted that, just as in Northern Ireland, American elections seem to “drive people to the extremes of the continuum.” With alarming accounts of attacks on ballot drop boxes and an increasing sense of mistrust, McWilliams emphasized the urgency of preparing for “the day after,” when emotions run high and the task of mending divisions becomes critical. One thing that’s key, said McWilliams, is figuring out “how not to send people further into the cold, because that just breeds insecurity and breeds more exclusion.”

Donna Hicks, associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard and author of the book, Leading with Dignity: How to Create a Culture That Brings Out the Best in People, addressed the psychological dimensions of these divides. Her research underscores how deeply humans crave recognition and respect.

“When someone experiences a dignity violation, it shows up in the brain in the same area as if the person experienced a physical injury,” she explained. “Is it any wonder why people get outraged [when they feel unseen or unfairly treated]?” Hicks argued that building relationships of respect and dignity, rather than feeding indignity, could help Americans navigate divisions.

Quoting McWilliams, Phillips offered one example of how to move discussions forward when both parties seem unwilling to compromise. “She said, ‘You know, there’s nothing wrong with compromise, but where I came from, just using that word led to people pulling back and contracting across the divide. And what we found was the word ‘accommodate’ brought people in at the negotiating table. So just the reframing in a deeply divided society is so critical.”

Reflecting on the weight of the issues discussed, Phillips said that incorporating people’s shared lived experience has helped Beyond Conflict advance peace processes around the world. “We would bring to the table people like Monica or Donna or other folks who lived in countries that never imagined they could sit across the table from their enemy, that they could advance peace or be an agent of change themselves.”

Spurlock praised the panelists and reaffirmed Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University’s commitment to promoting civility and understanding. “Deepening political polarization in the United States is a profound threat to the American people and the very core of American democracy,” said Spurlock. “They addressed the issues of staying true to our values while keeping our country together no matter the outcome, and building and maintaining relationships of respect and dignity anchored in democratic values and norms.”

About the speakers:

Monica McWilliams
Monica McWilliams is emeritus professor at Ulster University’s Transitional Justice Institute. Monica was the chief commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission from 2005-11 and responsible for delivering the advice on a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.

Donna Hicks
Donna Hicks, PhD, is an associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University. Dr. Hicks was deputy director of the Program on International Conflict Analysis and Resolution (PICAR) at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University.

Timothy Phillips, BS ’83, HDHL ’18
Tim Phillips is the founder and CEO of Beyond Conflict. Phillips has helped catalyze the peace and reconciliation processes in several nations, including Northern Ireland, El Salvador, and South Africa. He has advised the United Nations, the US Department of State, and the Council of Europe, and has been a frequent speaker in national and international forums, including the Council on Foreign Relations and the US Congress.