The border checks will happen between Northern Ireland and Great Britain instead of between Ireland and Northern Ireland. In return for this concession, Northern Ireland will continue following some EU rules.

s/UK/GB/

Good catch, thanks.

Can you please explain? I'm not from any of the islands.

The country is officially known as The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Great Britain consists of 3 countries; England, Scotland and Wales. So the border Checks are between NI and GB not NI and UK.

Great Britain is the big island where England, Wales, and Scotland mostly are. There will be "border checks" down the Irish Sea, on goods which are travelling within the United Kingdom (specifically between Northern Ireland and Great Britain).

The UK and Ireland impose passport controls on the EU (Common Travel Area) which won't change, with regards to customs checks we're engaging in a bit of legal theatre to claim that NI is remaining inside the UK customs area but de facto it will be in a customs union with the EU/the Republic of Ireland and the customs border will be between Great Britain and the island of Ireland as a whole.

The Americans would never tolerate a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Too much time, effort and blood went into getting the Good Friday Agreement. The border with Northern Ireland still exists, only it got moved to the Irish Sea.

The Americans were not part of the negotiations.

They are guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement.

Yes, I know, my instinct is also to say it's none of their business. But in the case of the GFA, it is.

I don't think anyone in the US cares that much. And have you seen our foreign policy over the last 20 years? You really don't want us getting involved.

> I don't think anyone in the US cares that much.

The US didn't randomly, or even out of generic nosiness/imperialism, become a guarantor of the GFA; the Troubles were a focus of intensive and intensely divisive interest in the US.

The underlying forces in the US that made that true haven't gone away.

People in the US cared very much.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-54171571

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-50658187

A more accurate statement: Some career politicians care a little bit. I can guarantee 99% of Americans have no idea what Northern Ireland would be or what border arrangements they do or don’t have with the EU and UK

The US is generally believed to have been the primary source of IRA funding before the GFA. It seems reasonable to assume that Americans care about this issue. You should feel free to ignore the fact that the President-elect and House members representing a majority of the US population have strong feelings about this, since you’ve obviously chosen to ignore this.

Irish americans make up more than 10% of the population. Irish americans are why ireland is free. Irish american money, political power and irish american volunteers were instrumental in winning the war for independence. There are nearly 35 million irish americans. There are less than 5 million irish.

https://www.rte.ie/history/de-valera-in-america/2020/0218/11...

It isn't a coincidence that ireland won its independence as irish americans became major players in politics, business, etc.

1% of 300 million people is still a large political force, especially if they are concentrated in a particular area.

Many Irish-Americans do care, and the President-elect has repeatedly called this issue to attention.

> Many Irish-Americans do care

Also, many US Catholics, more generally, have historically, and I suspect that the way the politics of religious identity have evolved recently, that might be even more true than when the Troubles were last active if they became so again.

So is the EU. Guarding the good friday agreement was one of their key demands in the negotiations.

Really? That would be news to Ambassador George Mitchell, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_J._Mitchell

OP probably won't read it, so here:

> He was a primary architect of the 1996 Mitchell Principles and the 1998 Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, and was the main investigator in two "Mitchell Reports", one on the Arab–Israeli conflict (2001) and one on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball (2007).

They can put pressure on the UK government and probably have.

Indeed they have. Joe Biden called Boris Johnson on 10 November and reminded him to respect the Good Friday Agreement.

For background, see https://www.politico.eu/article/on-brexit-boris-johnson-is-n....

No. There's been the Common Travel Area since 1923.

That does not mean no border. That just means that Irish and British can freely cross the border but may need to show passport/id.

There are special provisions for Northern Ireland, the so-called “backstop”, in the EU withdrawal agreement which was signed a year ago.