|
|
Article: The Clinton legacy in Ireland.(Bill Clinton and the peace process)
- Article from:
- World of Hibernia
- Article date:
- March 22, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 The World of Hibernia, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
As President Bill Clinton prepared to make his third and final visit to Ireland last December, one question engaged both his critics and his admirers in a fierce debate. Why exactly was he coming back and why, on a broader scale, was Ireland so all-fired important to him anyway?
For the best part of eight years he had been deeply embroiled in the minutiae of the peace process, he had risked the US' "special relationship" with Britain by granting Gerry Adams a visa back in 1994. He seemed willing to drop everything if he thought a visit or a meeting would advance the hesitant process, and, most gruelling of all, he sat up many nights until the wee small hours ...