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The Americans would never tolerate a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Too much time, effort and blood went into getting the Goo
by smackay 6y ago
The Americans would never tolerate a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Too much time, effort and blood went into getting the Good Friday Agreement. The border with Northern Ireland still exists, only it got moved to the Irish Sea.
- mtmail 6y agoThe Americans were not part of the negotiations.
- smackay 6y agoReally? That would be news to Ambassador George Mitchell, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_J._Mitchell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_J._Mitchell
- djohnston 6y agoOP probably won't read it, so here: > He was a primary architect of the 1996 Mitchell Principles and the 1998 Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, and was the main investigator in two "Mitchell Reports", one on the Arab–Israeli conflict (2001) and one on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball (2007).
- joefife 6y agoThey are guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement. Yes, I know, my instinct is also to say it's none of their business. But in the case of the GFA, it is.
- x86_64Ubuntu 6y agoI don't think anyone in the US cares that much. And have you seen our foreign policy over the last 20 years? You really don't want us getting involved.
- Tomte 6y agoMany Irish-Americans do care, and the President-elect has repeatedly called this issue to attention.
- dragonwriter 6y ago> Many Irish-Americans do care Also, many US Catholics, more generally, have historically, and I suspect that the way the politics of religious identity have evolved recently, that might be even more true than when the Troubles were last active if they became so again.
- matthewdgreen 6y agoPeople in the US cared very much. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-54171571 https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-54171571 https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-50658187 https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-50658187
- redisman 6y agoA more accurate statement: Some career politicians care a little bit. I can guarantee 99% of Americans have no idea what Northern Ireland would be or what border arrangements they do or don’t have with the EU and UK
- tsimionescu 6y ago1% of 300 million people is still a large political force, especially if they are concentrated in a particular area.
- matthewdgreen 6y agoThe US is generally believed to have been the primary source of IRA funding before the GFA. It seems reasonable to assume that Americans care about this issue. You should feel free to ignore the fact that the President-elect and House members representing a majority of the US population have strong feelings about this, since you’ve obviously chosen to ignore this.
- estaseuropano 6y agoSo is the EU. Guarding the good friday agreement was one of their key demands in the negotiations.
- mytailorisrich 6y agoThey can put pressure on the UK government and probably have.
- stevesimmons 6y agoIndeed they have. Joe Biden called Boris Johnson on 10 November and reminded him to respect the Good Friday Agreement. For background, see https://www.politico.eu/article/on-brexit-boris-johnson-is-now-caught-between-joe-biden-and-his-own-mps/ https://www.politico.eu/article/on-brexit-boris-johnson-is-n....