- Date(s)
- November 9, 2023
- Location
- Hybrid event
- Time
- 12:00 - 13:30
- Price
- Free
Dr Peter McLoughlin (QUB), “Ok, Let’s Do It”: Examining the Motivations for Clinton’s Interventions in the Northern Ireland Peace Process
Abstract:
This paper will look particularly at the role of a new Irish-American lobby group that emerged in the early 1990s – one that helped Clinton to win the White House, and in turn expected him to make radical departures from the US government’s traditional approach to Northern Ireland. The boldest suggestion made by Americans for New Irish Agenda (ANIA) was that Gerry Adams be given a visa to visit the US, arguing that this would advance the tentative peace process emerging in the region in this period. The paper examines why Clinton first rejected and later moved on the initiatives suggested by ANIA. It will argue that his change in approach showed that Clinton was not simply responding to ANIA, but also political shifts in Northern Ireland, in British-Irish relations, and in the wider international arena. In addition, it asserts that he had personal reasons for his interest in Northern Ireland, and that the success of his early interventions encouraged further engagement. Finally, it will suggest that there was simply a fortuitous alignment of political actors and interests in the US and Ireland that help explain both the role that Clinton played and the success of this.
Hybrid event: 27 University Square/01/003 or Online via Microsoft Teams
| Name | Dr Michele Crepaz |
| m.crepaz@qub.ac.uk |