Clinton plays peacemaker in N. Ireland

Hillary Clinton, Peter Robinson, Martin McGuinness, Oct. 12, 2009 | Paul Faith - WPA Pool/Getty Images   Secretary Clinton, whose husband Bill helped broker the 1998 Good Friday agreement, continued the peace process today with a talk to the Northern Ireland Assembly. She encouraged the Catholic and Protestant lawmakers to strengthen their power-sharing partnership, stating ...

By , copy chief at Foreign Policy from 2009-2016 and was an assistant editor from 2007-2009.
579500_091012_ClintonNorthernIreland2.jpg
579500_091012_ClintonNorthernIreland2.jpg
BELFAST - OCTOBER 12: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, poses with Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson (L) and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness (R), at Stormont Castle on October 12, 2009 in Belfast, United Kingdom. Clinton is on a five-day tour of Europe and Russia. (Photo by Paul Faith - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

 

Hillary Clinton, Peter Robinson, Martin McGuinness, Oct. 12, 2009 | Paul Faith - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Hillary Clinton, Peter Robinson, Martin McGuinness, Oct. 12, 2009 | Paul Faith - WPA Pool/Getty Images
 

Secretary Clinton, whose husband Bill helped broker the 1998 Good Friday agreement, continued the peace process today with a talk to the Northern Ireland Assembly. She encouraged the Catholic and Protestant lawmakers to strengthen their power-sharing partnership, stating that it shows that even the most acrimonious conflicts can be reconciled through patient compromise.

She also met today with Northern Ireland’s first minister, Peter Robinson, above left, and Martin McGuinness, the deputy first minister.

In an editorial titled, “Mrs Clinton’s Visit Very Welcome,” the Belfast Telegraph lauded Clinton’s involvement in the peace process — dating back to her time as first lady — and stated, “Hillary Clinton deserves our thanks for all she has done, and is still doing, to make a permanent peace possible.”

(Sounds like Clinton’s been doing a lot more to broker peace lately than the Nobel-winning Obama.)

Photo: Paul Faith – WPA Pool/Getty Images

Preeti Aroon was copy chief at Foreign Policy from 2009-2016 and was an assistant editor from 2007-2009. Twitter: @pjaroonFP

More from Foreign Policy

The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.
The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.

America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose

Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.

A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.

The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy

The reality of fighting Hamas in Gaza makes this war terrible one way or another.

Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.
Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.

Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now

In tying Washington to Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. president now shares responsibility for the broader conflict’s fate.

U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.
U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.

Taiwan’s Room to Maneuver Shrinks as Biden and Xi Meet

As the latest crisis in the straits wraps up, Taipei is on the back foot.