Brexit presents a security challenge to Ireland and the EU as it undermines the basis of the Northern Ireland peace process and creates the possibility that there will again be a closed border on the island of Ireland. The 1998 Good Friday Agreement was premised on both signatory states being members of the EU and many of its provisions will not be implementable post-Brexit. The UK Government have been surprised at the strong support from the EU that Ireland has received for its position on the border and the need to maintain the peace process during the withdrawal negotiations. Prior to 1998 the EU had treated the conflict as an internal UK matter. The EU is now prioritising its own security interests and supporting Ireland as a member state. This chapter analyses the shifting divisive political dynamics that have emerged in Northern Ireland, and between Ireland and the UK, as a result of Brexit in order to understand the potential security challenges post Brexit.
Baciu, Cornelia-Adriana, Doyle, John