An Cosantóir

39 REVIEWS Review by Dr Rory Finegan (Comdt Retd) Taken from www.easons.ie Agents of Influence Ranger 22 Author: Aaron Edwards Publisher: Merrion Press ISBN: 9781785373411 Pages: 300 Price: €19.95 (Easons) Author: Ray Goggins Publisher: Gill Books ISBN: 9780717192496 Pages: 304 Price: €16.99 BOOKS Aaron Edwards who is a Military Historian and Academic at Sandhurst Military Academy has previously written extensively on the Troubles including his acclaimed book UVF: Behind the Mask (Merrion Press, 2017). Edwards apart from his academic background is well positioned to analyze this tragic realm as he was born in Rathcoole in Belfast and personally witnessed the unfolding tragedy of the Troubles. In his latest work Agents of Influence, he brings a 'gimlet eye' to one of the most contested and still emerging issues of the internecine conflict that blighted these Islands, namely the role of Informers, the so-called agents of influence and what role they played in helping bringing about the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement (1998) that brought peace to this Island; albeit with the ongoing threat from both loyalist and republican 'dissident' groups. Edwards differentiates agents of influence from regular informers, the latter were those who were placed within the upper echelons of the republican movement and were utilized by the Security Forces in a subtle and nuanced manner to help obliquely yet discretely influence republican strategy toward a negotiated settlement. Whereby the Armalite would ultimately be come redux as part of the "Armalite and Ballot Box Strategy". There remains much contested debate as to the level and pervasiveness of such penetration. Edwards in this seminal work has done much to shine a light into this clandestine and often unsavory world of conflicted loyalties. What Edwards highlights in this forensic analysis that while a honed academic piece more reads like a John le Carré thriller, is to show that the number of senior republicans who became informers, the agents of influence of the title; demonstrated that penetration was successful up to and including the highest echelons of PIRA and Sinn Féin. He also highlights that despite how the Security Forces developed an almost Orwellian technical surveillance capacity, their most valued resources throughout the conflict remained human intelligence (Humint), provided from within PIRA/Sinn Féin's own ranks. Edwards is also careful to guide the reader through the often-convoluted evolution and development of the British Intelligence effort and highlights how one of the biggest impediments in this "War in the Shadows" was inter- service rivalry that took years de-conflict and hone into an integrated and coordinated system that critically was key to the containment of PIRA. The agents of influence were one of the keys that allowed the social and political stars to be aligned that made it possible for PIRA to engage in dialogue that would ultimately lead to a negotiated political settlement of the 'Troubles.' 'The path I have travelled, the things I have done and the people I have met in crisis situations have given me a window into those qualities that make us perform. My military training created a mindset, an outlook and skills that can be channelled into any situation.' From the hills of south Lebanon to the monsoon jungles of Southern Asia, Ray Goggins has operated in a life-and-death world. In the suffocating humidity of Liberia, the mountains of Afghanistan and the snow-covered Balkans, Ray has seen the best and worst qualities in himself and others. From conflict zones to terrorist attacks and hostage rescues, Ray has learned the greatest life lessons: how to control fear, how to react calmly and positively, and how to create a strong baseline from which to take action. In this remarkable book he takes us on an exhilarating journey through his incredible career and draws on the valuable lessons to help all of us deal better with life, whatever the situation.

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