In the current debate surrounding Irish neutrality, Cian McCrory discusses the arguments made by both politicians and academics alike on the matter
Arguments erupted in Dáil Éireann last month following questions aimed at Tánaiste Simon Harris’ change in foreign policy. For the past 10 months, debates about Ireland’s security, namely the Triple Lock, have been on the table. Since the beginning of World War II in 1939, under the declaration of Éamon de Valera, Ireland has held the stance of neutrality. However, recently it seems that this neutrality has been under threat.
The pressing issue which supposedly threatens our neutral stance is the Triple Lock, which is based on the three “locks”, or approvals, required by the Irish government to deploy more than twelve members of the Irish Defence Force abroad. These are sign-offs from the Dáil, the government, and the United Nations Security or General Assembly.
At the start of this month, legislation was brought forward to move the cap from twelve members of the Irish Defence Force to fifty members and remove UN approval. Along with this, talks about increases in the defence budget, military spending, and the buying of military equipment have been underway.
Tánaiste Simon Harris has argued that this shift is in the wake of Russian influence on the region, and is moreover an issue of Irish sovereignty. Critics of Harris argue that, as a result of Irish neutrality not being codified in the constitution, this may pull Ireland out of its neutral position.
Furthermore, Harris has argued multiple times within the Dáil about the veto question, that being the ability for Russia, or other permanent UN Security Council members, to veto an Irish deployment.
This letter has been signed by 400 individuals including more than 100 professors and scholars from UCD.
This however has received harsh criticism from several politicians, as many are pointing out the statement as a ‘red herring’. According to these critiques, there is no such veto, as a result of the 2006 Irish Defence (Amendment) Act giving the UN General Assembly the powers to grant the deployment of Irish soldiers on peacekeeping missions - which are the same powers retained by the UN Security Council.
Criticisms have not only been from political sources. Recently, staff members of several Irish universities have also been expressing their disapproval of this removal of the Triple Lock. In a letter signed by Irish academics addressed to Taoiseach Michaél Martin, they state their utmost support for the Triple Lock as a means to secure our neutral position, the removal of which "may sound the death knell of Irish neutrality".
Academics have stated that this move is a step in the wrong direction, aiming away from multilateral cooperation with the UN, and going ahead with this repeal will only severely weaken our commitment to the UN system and peacekeeping as a whole. This letter has been signed by 400 individuals including more than 100 professors and scholars from UCD.
This does not come as a surprise as the wider population of Irish people are in favour of keeping the Triple Lock in place. As cited in the letter, 75% of Irish people are in disagreement with the government’s removal of the Triple Lock policy.