Date: March 6, 2012 Creator: Archick, Kristin Description: Since
1969, over 3,500 people have died as a result of political
violence in Northern Ireland, which is a part of the United
Kingdom. The British and Irish governments as well as the
Northern Ireland political parties participating in the peace
talks announced an agreement, the Good Friday Agreement (also
known as the Belfast Agreement), which called for devolved
government in which unionist and nationalist parties would share
power. U.S. administrations and many Members of Congress have
actively supported the Northern Ireland peace process. For
decades, the United States has provided development aid through
the International Fund for Ireland (IFI). In recent years,
congressional hearings have focused on the peace process, police
reforms, and the status of public inquiries into several murders
in Northern Ireland in which collusion between the security
forces and paramilitary groups is suspected. Many such issues
related to Northern Ireland may contin