The US has signalled a shift in emphasis in relation to Northern Ireland by appealing for greater understanding of the alienation of many unionists.
President Bush's special adviser on the Northern Ireland, Mr Richard Haass, warned in a speech last night: "Focusing on the grievances of only one community can make us blind to problems which threaten the prospects for lasting peace for the entire society."
A new situation in the North required new leadership, he argued.
The implicit message was also that the US, which sees itself as "impartial adviser and honest broker" in the North wishes to help unionists.
Mr Haass, the director of policy planning at the State Department, was speaking at the annual dinner of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy at the Cosmopolitan Club in New York.
"It might be tempting to regard the insecurity within unionism as a daunting task that Protestants must tackle on their own," he said, in a thoughtful analysis of the peace process. But the crisis within this community is a concern for all of us, whether we live in Northern Ireland, Great Britain, Ireland, or America - or whether one is Catholic or Protestant.
"It is a challenge for all who want to see today's fragile peace become rock solid. The reality is that there is no separating the future of one community from that of the other." Mr Haass, who described events of the past few months as deeply encouraging and the glass of peaceful politics as "more than half full" asked, "Why - when we can point to the political progress that has been attained in recent months, when we can tally the enormous economic benefits that are accruing from peace - why is public support for the Good Friday agreement slipping?
"Why do pundits maintain that if elections were held today, the centrist parties that have done so much to promote the peace accord would suffer? Why do so many people in Northern Ireland look at the same environment I just described and see a glass half empty - or worse?"
He praised leaders, including Sinn Féin's Mr Gerry Adams, for their contribution to the "historic" decommissioning decision.
However, he called on all political leaders to develop a vision and an appeal that is inclusive of both communities.
The full text of the speech by Ambassador Haass is available on The Irish Times website, ireland.com