What’s Behind That Handshake?

The queen was wearing green. Since she was silent, we assume this was a message of sorts to the Irish people as she prepared for her historic handshake with Martin McGuinness, a republican former IRA commander and now a co-leader of the Northern Irish power-sharing government. Meanwhile, Irish republicans staged a militant protest in Belfast and came under siege by infuriated loyalists. What was really behind this symbolic step in the continuing peace process? From an inside source in Belfast comes this analysis: