Anglo-Irish Comment

The Anglo-Irish agreement was an agreement that aimed to end the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The agreement between the states, the United Kingdom and the Ireland, would allow the Irish government to have an advisory role in Northern Ireland’s government. It established the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, where British and Irish ministers could discuss the issues affecting Northern Ireland. Though the agreement failed to end the tensions between both the Irish and Anglo communities, it did aid in making cooperation between the British and Irish governments easier. This is turn would aid in the later adoption of the Good Friday Agreement by helping establish a bond between the UK and Ireland. It was the first time the British government had committed to officially promoting legislation for a United Ireland. The agreement was the first sign of a gradual shift from the British’s government’s desire to retain sovereignty in Northern Ireland, to allowing Irish government to take a more active role in the administration of Northern Ireland. The joining of both governments under the conference would address the issue brought up by Kriesberg, about how conflicts arise primarily from parties’ treatment of each others, and perceived difference. The power-sharing and inclusion of the Irish ministers in ruling Northern Ireland meant a gradual overturn of Irish inequality.

The Anglo-Irish Agreement tried transforming conflict into peace through Kreisbergs main strategies. The British and Irish signed the Anglo Irish Agreement (AIA) at Hillsborough Castle in November 1985. This agreement consisted of two strong institutional structures. In Article two, which represented the powerful axis, it established an intergovernmental conference concerning Northern Ireland, relations between the two parts of Ireland, which dealt with political matters, security and related matters, legal matters, and the promotion of cross border cooperation. Furthermore, the second structure