A Letter from Ireland
a Chara,
I am back on the road again. I am in Washington DC to meet up with labor, community and political leaders. It has been a very productive couple of days on the Hill as well as with supporters of the Good Friday Agreement and Irish unity.
In the unpredictable political environment of Washington, peace and progress in Ireland remain a constant and a point of bipartisan support.
Our peace agreements remain a beacon of hope and evidence that conflict is intractable or inevitable.
At the core of all conflicts is political failure and refusal to recognize the equal rights and entitlements of others.
History demonstrates that starting a conflict is easier than bringing one to an end. Conflicts develop a self-sustaining dynamic of resistance, retribution and hurt. Breaking the cycle of violence requires breaking with old thinking and policies.
In 1994 President Clinton broke from uncritical support of British policy in Ireland and developed an independent approach that had achieving a peaceful settlement at its heart. He appointed and supported Senator George Mitchell as a Special Envoy to the North of Ireland to eventually chair the talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement.
After the signing of the agreement, Senator Mitchell said, “now the hard work begins”. How right he was. Implementing the agreement became a continuation of negotiations. Peacebuilding is not a once-off event. It requires constant nurturing
Through all of that, the US played the role of guarantors of the agreement and its full implementation; pushing for demilitarisation and disarmament, a new beginning to policing, the transfer of oversight of policing and justice away from London to Belfast, protecting progress and preventing a hard border in Ireland in the Brexit process and re-establishing the institutions of the Agreement.
The role of the US did not end in 1998. It has endured and it has secured peace.The process of peace-building continues.
We have further to travel to reconcile the past with truth, justice, and acknowledgement. The British continue to cover up their role in the conflict.
The Agreement placed the constitutional future of the Island, Irish unity or continued division, in the hands of the people. The right to Irish Unity referendums in both jurisdictions is explicit in the agreement. The vindication of that right has been withheld by both governments.
In particular, the Irish Government refuses to prepare or advocate for Irish Unity.
The British Government refuses to deal with the past and the Irish government refuses to plan for the future.
In resolving these issues, the role of the US as guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement is central. Reconciliation requires truth and acknowledgment. The constitutional future requires respectful and informed discussion. The future, like the past, cannot remain unaddressed.
The full transformative potential of the Good Friday Agreement will not be realised until these issues are resolved.
This week in Washington has reminded me of how much we have travelled. The United States and Irish America have safeguarded our agreements and underwritten the agreements.
The next chapter must be about reconciliation and unity.
Have a great weekend.
Ciarán
Ciarán Quinn is the Sinn Féin Representative to North America. Each week he writes a letter from Ireland with news and analysis. It is featured in the weekly Friends of Sinn Féin USA Newsletter. Be sure you are subscribed to stay up to date.
