Ireland is so economically integral to the United States that it is sometimes called “the 51st state,” said U.S. Ambassador to the Irish Republic James C. Kenny at the McCormick Tribune Center on Saturday.
Kenny spoke to about 20 people on the economic and political ties that bind the United States and Ireland.
The event, sponsored by the Center for International and Comparative Studies, was the first in a series entitled, “Images of the U.S. Abroad,” which examines the role and image of the United States overseas.
Despite the good relationship between the two countries, America is losing some of its appeal as Ireland develops its own booming economy, Kenny said.
“I don’t see the young people coming to America like they used to,” Kenny said. “We need to do a better job of ‘selling’ America.”
Ireland’s economic outlook continues to improve because the country’s small size and flexibility enables it to respond to global competition and “move and change things quickly,” Kenny said.
America has helped spur the growth of the Irish economy through foreign investment, Kenny added.
As recently as 15 years ago, Ireland was poorer than the average European country. But now it is the largest exporter of software and its per-capita income is one of the highest in the European Union, due in large part to foreign investment.
U.S. companies have invested $55.4 billion in Ireland during the past few years, 33.2 percent more than was invested in China, Kenny said. U.S. companies employ more than 90,000 Irish people, he said.
Ireland’s economic success exists under a shadow of political unrest between majority-Protestant Northern Ireland and the separate, predominantly Catholic Irish Republic.
“They need to put down the guns and get to the ballot box,” Kenny said. “They need to join the political system.”
He added that there still is a lot of “paramilitarism” and a need for “reconciliation.” The United States’ role in the situation, he said, should be to help both sides “keep people at the table talking.”
Since there were no incidents of violence this past summer, some people are optimistic that an agreement between the two sides may be reached by Christmas, Kenny said.
“Momentum is on the side of peace,” said Kenny, adding that peace on the island could serve as an example to other conflict-ridden parts of the world, such as Israel and Palestine.
Kenny stressed that the image of the United States in Ireland still is very positive. Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, in particular, is “very close to our president,” and that the two nations share common values of democracy and the rule of law, Kenny said.
But the two countries don’t always agree on issues, particularly when it comes to the Middle East.
“There is a lot of anti-war sentiment,” Kenny said. “(The Irish) all agree that Saddam should have been removed. They disagree about the method.”
Weinberg freshman Sarah Braden said the presentation increased her knowledge of Ireland.
“It made me respect our economic ties,” said Braden, adding that she was unaware of the scope of the economic relationship between the two countries.
Cindy Laning, a Communication senior, said Americans rarely hear about the Irish perspective on issues within the United States.
“I don’t think there’s much coverage about Ireland in the U.S. media,” she said.
