Opinion

ANALYSIS: It's not yet apparent if the DUP's Washington DC visit was worthwhile

US President Joe Biden speaking at the annual Friends of Ireland Luncheon in Washington, DC. Picture by Niall Carson/PA Wire
US President Joe Biden speaking at the annual Friends of Ireland Luncheon in Washington, DC. Picture by Niall Carson/PA Wire US President Joe Biden speaking at the annual Friends of Ireland Luncheon in Washington, DC. Picture by Niall Carson/PA Wire

THERE are few things that compare to Washington DC in the week of St Patrick’s Day.

Over a matter of a few days, the US political establishment celebrates all things Irish, hosting the country’s politicians and members of civil society, demonstrating a virtually unrivalled level of affinity and benevolence.

The British may like to think they still have a ‘special relationship’ but arguably only the Israelis enjoy similar access and support from the White House and Capitol Hill, though rarely is it displayed so publicly – or with such kitsch.

This year was particularly significant due to the forthcoming 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and a potential presidential visit to Ireland. US political and economic support has been crucial to the peace process, with most administrations over the last quarter of a century maintaining a close interest in affairs north of the border.

This year’s events around St Patrick’s Day were also important because they came a matter of weeks after the unveiling of the Windsor Framework. Irish-American politicians have kept a close eye on how Brexit has impacted on Ireland and have been vocal in their opposition to a hard border, or as they term it, “anything that undermines the Good Friday Agreement”. It is widely acknowledged that any transatlantic trade deal will be vetoed by Congress unless free movement north-south of people and goods is guaranteed.

While the DUP has faced some criticism over its decision to join the other Stormont parties in the US, it was undoubtedly the correct one. What the party’s supporters think of the revised EU-UK protocol deal may be important in helping it in eventually coming to a position but it’s also vital that the party hears an international perspective. Unionism’s dearth of allies outside the north means it too often formulates policy on the basis of eternal, internal echoes.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and his loyal delegation may have felt isolated over the framework and under pressure from all quarters to accept the deal, however, any push from Washington was likely to have been persuasive rather than coercive.

The US administration is using the carrot of economic investment to encourage the DUP to adopt a positive approach; the only stick at its disposal is the same as everybody else’s – highlighting the strategic setback of saying ‘no’.

The burden was nonetheless apparent in the DUP leader’s rather curt response to Chuck Schumer’s call for the restoration of Stormont.

It’s widely acknowledged, privately at least, that on occasions the Americans’ reading of the situation in Ireland can leave little room for nuance and appears sometimes to owe as much to misty-eyed, romantic notions as any serious historical text.

This is par for the course – nationalists are happy to indulge powerful US politicians in return for their backing, while unionists are clearly irked, with some justification, by the apparent level of naïveté, coupled with a lack of sympathy. That said, it’s important to show your host respect and appreciate that not everybody shares the same level of detail.

As the politicians and other guests of the US administration flew home over the weekend, we were still no clearer about the timetable for the expected presidential visit.

Substantive political progress is unlikely in the few weeks between now and Easter but President Biden nonetheless signalled his desire to visit both the Republic and the north at some stage in the near future. It may be some time before it becomes apparent if the stateside St Patrick’s Day trip was worthwhile – and for whom.