MAYNOOTH, Ireland — On Thursday, Irish voters will vote on the European Union's Lisbon Treaty, the instrument designed to improve the efficiency and legitimacy of the now 27-member bloc.
Ireland is the only country to put the treaty to a referendum — all the other member states have chosen to ratify the treaty by parliamentary means — and everything indicates that the result will be close.
For Prime Minister Brian Cowen's new government, the risk is that a "no" to the Lisbon Treaty will cripple his administration in its infancy. For the EU, Irish rejection of the treaty will probably trigger a lengthy period of instability, and perhaps even an end to the European integration process as it is now constituted.