The Tenth Anniversary of The Good Friday Agreement – Part II

In former Senator George Mitchell’s interview on National Public Radio discussing the tenth anniversary of The Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, he addressed the issue of “failure”. The process of reaching the agreement was contentious and lengthy. Protests and violence continued as negotiators worked to create a resolution. Some said that the talks were failing, as the days, weeks, and months passed without an agreement. As Mitchell described it, the process saw 700 days of failure — until it reached success. The same might be said of any meditation process: until resolution is reached, the process is unsuccessful. But if the process is moving the parties towards an acceptable resolution, it is success in the making.