How the European Union Helped the U.K. and Ireland Move From War to Peace

The European Union came into being with the ambitious purpose of copper-fastening peace in Europe. But since Britain and Ireland joined together in 1973 it has had a transformative impact on Ireland's relations with our nearest neighbour, for centuries uneasy and sometimes bloody. I want to argue that the E.U.'s record with regard to Ireland and the U.K. represents a microcosm of the Union's wider achievements in resolving age-old, continental rivalries during the past six decades.