Compares Northern Ireland with Cyprus, Puerto Rico, Corsica, East Timor, and Sri Lanka. Guelke argues that the fact that Northern Ireland is a partitioned part of an island helps explain why the international community tends to favour a united Ireland. This is because there is an international norm that islands, as natural units, should be under one jurisdiction. International support for the Agreement can be explained, according to Guelke, by its inclusion of all-island political institutions. Any attempt to weaken these will result in reduced international support.
Keywords: Agreement, international community, international norms, Ireland, island status, jurisdiction, Northern Ireland, political institutions