Excerpt:
Irish voters have overwhelmingly approved the European Union's controversial Lisbon Treaty, a document that will forever change the dynamics of European (and potentially global) politics. The "yes" vote comes just 18 months after Irish voters gave the "wrong" answer by rejecting the treaty in a first referendum.
According to the final results, 67.1 percent of Irish voters approved the treaty, while 32.9 percent voted "no." Turnout in the three-million electorate was 58 percent.
During the past year, the Irish government has faced intense pressure from an irate European political establishment, which demanded a second referendum that would produce the "correct" answer. Dublin achieved the desired result by playing on public fears over Ireland's faltering economy, which is expected to contract by a shocking 10 percent this year. It also warned that Ireland would be "pushed out" or "left behind" in Europe in the event of another "no" vote, a disconcerting prospect for a country traumatized by the second-highest unemployment rate in the EU.