Images of bloodshed and unrest haunt Northern Ireland’s past, but there’s hope a new image broadcast around the world this week marks the beginning of a more peaceful future.
Photographs of Ian Paisley, a Protestant political leader, and Gerry Adams, a Catholic and leader of Sinn Fein, sitting side by side at a diamond-shaped table have caught the attention of many. And rightly so.
The two men, who have been sworn enemies for decades, didn’t shake hands but pledged mutual cooperation in forming a new government in which Catholics and Protestants will share power.
Northern Ireland has seen tremendous progress since a 1998 peace pact was signed, but the latest meeting and agreement were a key step forward for a region devastated by internecine warfare for centuries. Paisley has called Adams a “terrorist” and likened Pope John Paul II to the “anti-Christ” in the past, while Catholics have made no secret of their hatred of Paisley, accusing him of inciting violence against them.
With the agreement, Britain is expected to to give Northern Ireland responsibility for running its own internal affairs. Under the new administration, Paisley will serve as first minister while Martin McGuinness, Sinn Fein’s chief negotiator, will act as his deputy.
“We are very conscious of the many people who have suffered,” Adams said in a statement. “We owe it to them to build the best possible future.
“It is a time for generosity, a time to be mindful of the common good and of the future of all our people.”
Ireland’s economic future may have helped propel the agreement. The Republic of Ireland’s economy has been growing at a rapid clip – 7 percent to 10 percent a year. But past political violence in Northern Ireland discouraged foreign investment. For many years, there wasn’t even legal trade between the republic and Northern Ireland.
“We must not allow our justified loathing of the horrors and tragedies of the past to become a barrier to creating a better and more stable future,” Paisley said. “In looking to the future we must never forget those who have suffered during the dark period from which we are, please God, emerging.”
The deal was forged in direct talks, which is why British officials have great hope that it will take hold.
We’re all hopeful, and we think the Irish experience could offer lessons for other parts of the world, including Iraq.
