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Dawn of peace

In a way, the impossible has been made possible, thanks largely to Blair’s efforts, supported by the realisation on the part of the rival formations there that violence, wranglings and mutual hatred do not pay, and the desire of the people who led a divided life for long years, to live in peace and amity.

The arch foes, the Catholics and the Protestants, one that had sought reunification of the province with Ireland, and the other that was bent upon keeping it as part of the United Kingdom, have come together, for now; and time alone can say whether this unity of purpose will last, or would flounder as had been the case in the past. Protestant leader Ian Paisley, who took over as first minister, and Martin McGuinness of the pro-Catholic Sinn Fein, as his deputy, among others, will have a hard time, struggling to set aside their grim past, and project a façade of unity in the new power-sharing arrangement.

Their realisation that unity is the way forward is a good omen, and the future should be built on the foundations of mutual trust. The revival of the parliamentary process, the Northern Ireland Assembly, after a four-and-half year break, is by itself a major breakthrough. Foremost among its duties is to apply balm on the deep wounds — left by decades of bloodletting that left over 3000 dead. While Blair smiled broadly at the inaugural, as is his wont, it is a moot point whether he will go down in history on a note of high success, as is sought to be projected from the peace breakthrough, or on a record of disaster as was brought upon by his decision to field the British military in the Iraq war, leading to many deaths and other unimaginable, painful consequences to his country.