The Brexit deal marks a clear victory for Ireland — one nobody in Britain saw coming, and one which has raised the Irish government’s standing at home and abroad. Ireland is tethered to Britain through a common history, enmeshed economies and a border with Northern Ireland that held up negotiations for months. Some British hardliners had argued that Ireland would simply follow along in any exit deal — a sentiment that caused outrage among many Irish and helped harden resolve. At the centre of the dispute was a legal guarantee to keep the Irish border open, known as the “backstop”, which Leo Varadkar and his EU allies insisted on and Britain eventually and very reluctantly agreed to. Ireland was opposed to Brexit and is fearful…

Source: The Times November 26, 2018 00:06 UTC