Dr James Lyons, centre, chats with Professor Anne Moran and
Professor Colm Campbell at the Transitional Justice Insitute lecture
Dr James Lyons, former US President Bill Clinton’s Special Advisor on Northern Ireland affairs, today delivered a keynote speech to a University audience on how US economic initiatives have helped power the drive for peace in the province.
Taking “When Peace Hits The Streets’ as his theme, Dr Lyons compared the US economic activity in Northern Ireland to the Marshall Plan, the post-Second World war plan for UK reconstruction, and told his audience that America had had a considerable impact as a mediator and stimulator, using relatively few resources.
Speaking at an event organised by the Transitional Justice Institute, Dr Lyons said that in Northern Ireland and the border counties, the International Fund for Ireland, - which was the main vehicle through which the US channeled its economic ‘pump-priming’ activity –
- funded 4,000 projects
- enabled $1.75bn of leveraged investment
- and created 25,000 jobs
The Clinton administration took an active interest in the fortunes of Northern Ireland, Dr Lyons said, and accepted the British and Irish Governments’ invitation to provide economic assistance for four main reasons:
- A moral responsibility to help fellow democracies
- The special relationship between the US and Ireland
- Economic self-interest: Ireland is a natural gateway to the EU for US companies
- The personal interest President Clinton, whose saw parallels with the civil rights issues in the US that had shaped his political career.
Dr Lyons expressed disappointment that the current US administration has not felt it appropriate to continue funding economic development activity in Ireland, north or south. In a passage discussing reasons why the US aid programme had fallen short of its aims, he said:
“We just ran out of time. The present US administration took a very different view of Northern Ireland , and has not been effective, or active, in the last three years. Their foreign policy is a dangerous mix of isolationism and imperialism – and we plan to fix that come November.”
He was also disappointed that the Good Friday Agreement had not yet been fully implemented, and looked forward to the return of a devolved legislature as a step forward in building peace in Northern Ireland
Concluding, he told his audience that:
“I’ve been blessed to have an extraordinary career. I’ve had experiences as a practising lawyer that I’ve found fulfilling beyond my wildest dreams. But there isn’t one of them by itself or together that adds up to experience I’ve had here – the most rewarding professional experience of my entire life.
You should never – not for a minute – believe that you do not have an enormously bright future here in NI. You’ve had some clouds to deal with, and you’ve dealt with them.
Anything we can do – whether we’re in office or out of office, we will always do.
Part of my heart, part of my soul, - and I know I speak for the former President also - will always be here in this Province.”
Dr Lyons will deliver a further lecture at the University's INCORE project in Aberfoyle House, Magee Campus, on Tuesday 17 May at 2.30pm.
