There are many reasons to suspect that the agreement will not hold. Among them;
· Each party remains committed to a political outcome that excludes the other;
· The two leaders are not co-equal in the agreement, and
· Even at the signing ceremony where Rev. Paisley and Mr. McGuinness were shaking hands with nearly everyone in the room, they didn’t shake hands with each other.
Still, this is such a huge step toward peace that it is almost universally seen as a tremendous coup for Tony Blair as he announced his resignation as the British Prime Minister.
“The Troubles” in
Who among us has not thought, when considering a long-standing conflict with a family member or colleague at work, “That conflict just cannot be resolved.”
We may not yet see how or when a conflict may be resolved. But to say that it will not be, is to give ourselves permission to quit trying.
We can give thanks to the people of