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Five North Carolinians recently traveled from North Carolina to Belfast, Northern Ireland, as part of a larger bipartisan group of faith and civic leaders from six states identified as being at the highest risk for political violence. Hosted by The Carter Center and Rethinking Conflict, they went to learn from a country that has lived through what many fear may be ahead for the United States.
They write:
"For three decades, Northern Ireland endured “The Troubles,” a period of violent political conflict that claimed more than 3,700 lives, mostly civilians. Proportionally, that would be the equivalent of about 800,000 deaths in the United States.
We did not just study their history. We sat with it. We heard firsthand from those who lost parents, spouses, and children. We saw the physical and emotional scars that remain. And we left with a sobering conclusion: the United States is closer to this kind of conflict than most of us are willing to admit.
Ultimately, we left Belfast with three major takeaways."
Read more about the lessons learned from Northern Ireland and how the United States needs to confront the issue of political violence at:
https://ncpoliticscenter.substack.com/p/now-is-the-time-to-address-political
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