The United States’ Role in Salvaging Northern Ireland’s Peace

The 1998 Good Friday Agreement (also known as the Belfast Agreement) had success in bringing peace to Northern Ireland, then deeply divided and governed by paramilitary violence. The legislation was no doubt a triumph of modern international diplomacy. The agreement, however, finds itself in an evermore precarious position due to changing political scenes and demographics both in Northern Ireland itself and across Europe. These growing threats to a fragile ongoing peace process must not be ignored. In a society where paramilitaries openly claim to be ‘Prepared for Peace’ but ‘Ready for War’, an unstable Northern Irish government alone cannot tackle these threats. Such a task requires those involved in the original agreement to accept their role in protecting the Good Friday Agreement. One such actor and, arguably the most influential, is the United States.

The United States’ involvement in reaching the original Good Friday was spurred by engagement between key Irish-American figures and the Clinton administration regarding the discrimination and violence against Catholics in Northern Ireland (Center Forward, 2019). Where there had once been a minimal role played by the United States, there was direct engagement with the parties involved in a potential agreement. The U.S. acted as a middleman between the British and Republic of Ireland’s governments. The Clinton administration’s intervention came at a critical time in Northern Ireland’s conflict. Between the years Clinton would hold office (1993-2001), Northern Ireland would have some of its darkest days before emerging with a functioning government. The U.S.-instigated policy shift played a significant role in this turnaround. Former President Clinton’s position as an outsider allowed him to bring Sinn Féin, the IRA’s leader, a paramilitary group, into talks because Irish and British government officials would have faced too much public backlash.

The U.S.’s pragmatic position in recognising the need for economic initiatives to boost prosperity and stability in Northern Ireland was key in shifting the opinions of society toward recognising peace as an economic opportunity. However, the U.S.’s most essential act in the Good Friday Agreement was the platform it granted to Irish Republicanism because it had been denied by the British government. The dialogue this policy created proved essential in bringing about the IRA’s 1994 ceasefire—a prerequisite to peace. The stability brought by the Good Friday Agreement has rendered the Northern Ireland of today unrecognisable from that of 1998. 

The relatively newfound peace is threatened by pressures posed by Brexit and a four-year collapse of the Northern Irish government between 2017 and 2020. Brexit has made it increasingly difficult to maintain neighbourly ties both between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K. and the Republic of Ireland, upsetting both communities. The governmental collapse has hindered prosperity and brought the legitimacy of the government into question. Such conditions mean a situation has once again arisen wherein the U.S. has a vital role to play in maintaining the agreement, which they were instrumental in achieving, alive. 

A proposed role for the U.S. and its foreign policy surrounding Northern Ireland may be as far-reaching or as constrained as President Biden wishes. The issue of the Good Friday Agreement tends to be a rare issue backed with bipartisan support and, therefore, one where real progress could be made. The U.S. Special Envoys’ role in Northern Ireland is particularly important in providing push-back to the calls of ‘Brexiteers’ for a more pronounced separation from Ireland. Several have suggested the appointment of a second special envoy which focuses on maintaining the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement because it could be crucial to salvaging peace and creating a more stable society with functioning politics (Elliott, 2022). Economic investment and trade will also be highly important to reaffirm peace through renewing confidence amongst communities and provide alternative opportunities for those most prone to partake in paramilitary violence. To have the U.S. invested in the issue demonstrates a strong symbol in the peace process which could provide a sense of hope to the Northern Irish. 

The dissolution of peace in Northern Ireland and heightened tensions have, so far, found their outlet in small-scale rioting among youths (Landow, 2021). Working-class communities have grown increasingly worried that organised paramilitary violence will reignite and return Northern Ireland to civil war (Graham, 2022). The United States must reassume their role.

Photo: Independent

Works Cited

Center Forward. 2019. “US Involvement in the Northern Irish Peace Process and the Good Friday Agreement.” Center Forward. https://center-forward.org/us-involvement-in-the-northern-irish-peace-process-and-the-good-friday-agreement/.

Elliott, Susan, Bonnie Wier, and Ted Smyth. 2022. “A US special envoy to Northern Ireland would help preserve the peace.” The Hill. https://thehill.com/opinion/international/597953-a-us-special-envoy-to-northern-ireland-would-help-preserve-the-peace/.

Graham, Seanín. 2022. “Threat of violence rises as loyalists vent frustrations with protocol.” The Irish Times. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/threat-of-violence-rises-as-loyalists-vent-frustrations-with-protocol-1.4840243.

Landow, Charles and James McBride. 2021. “Moving Past the Troubles: The Future of Northern Ireland Peace.” Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/moving-past-troubles-future-northern-ireland-peace.