Soldiers of the Irish Army march in Dublin. Getty
Soldiers of the Irish Army march in Dublin. Getty
Soldiers of the Irish Army march in Dublin. Getty
Soldiers of the Irish Army march in Dublin. Getty

Nato question burdens Ireland's military neutrality debate


Laura O'Callaghan
  • English
  • Arabic

As the EU's western-most gateway to a prime slice of the Atlantic ocean and the airspace above it, Ireland's official neutrality is something of a kink in the bloc's efforts to build up its defences in alignment with Nato.

The issue emerged from the shadows after the Ukraine war erupted and the question of how well Ireland can defend itself is now hotly debated.

The contentious nature of the topic was highlighted when protesters interrupted Deputy Prime Minister Micheal Martin, who is also Foreign Minister, as he gave a speech at a recent security forum.

A group held up a flag that read “Nato wars, millions dead” and chanted “shame on you”.

For generations, military neutrality has been entrenched in the fabric of the nation and a mainstay in its foreign policy. But an uptick in Russian naval activity in the waters around the Emerald Isle and Russia's attack on its neighbour have opened up a new type of conversation in Ireland - on defence.

Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has said Ireland will neither be applying for Nato membership nor changing its policy of military neutrality.

A poll by Ipsos published in June showed 61 per cent of participants support Ireland’s neutral policy, while 26 per cent said they would like to see a change. Just over half of those seeking a shift in direction said they would like to see the country become part of Nato.

Nato debate 'taking root in Ireland'

While Ireland's neutral stance - refraining from joining military alliances or defence pacts - has for decades been perceived as a strength, it is being put under unprecedented scrutiny.

A debate on whether Ireland would be safer outside or inside Nato if the Ukraine war spills over is gaining traction.

Patrick Bury, a former British Army captain in the Royal Irish Regiment who served in Afghanistan, told The National three factors were fuelling the widening conversation on military matters.

Firstly, the former Nato analyst said, the Irish Defence Forces have been “chronically underfunded” by successive governments dating back to 2008.

Secondly, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has up-ended the long-held belief among Ireland and its European neighbours that the days of the continent being scarred by war were in the past.

“The invasion of Ukraine has overturned assumptions on European security,” he said.

“As a result of these two factors, the third part of the question is on Irish neutrality and what it is to be neutral in the 21st century.

“There are other European countries grappling with the same question. Sweden had to change its position and it is looking to join Nato. And there are interesting conversations developing in Switzerland regarding the exporting of weapons systems to help Ukraine.”

Dr Bury touched on the dramatic intervention Irish President Michael D Higgins made when he waded into the discussion. Mr Higgins said politicians were playing with fire by opening up a debate on the country's longstanding military neutrality, and said it marked a dangerous drift from a cornerstone of Irish foreign policy.

“It was not the most measured intervention,” Dr Bury said, adding that the president had made it in a “not very statesmanlike way”.

Nevertheless, he said debates on all things military related, including potential Nato membership, are "starting to take root” in Ireland and the tide cannot be stopped.

Some people are concerned that by keeping its neutral stance in the midst of a war in eastern Europe, Ireland risked being looked upon as an apathetic nation, he said.

“We stayed out of the Second World War and by doing so were not on the right side of what was a battle against the Nazis. You could argue the same thing is going on this time with Ukraine," he said.

Nato through the years - in pictures

'Vociferous opposition to Ireland joining Nato'

Finland ditched a decades-old policy of military neutrality when it became Nato's 31st member in April.

Sweden ended its long history of neutrality last year when it announced its intention to join Nato. More than a year on, it continues to push for accession, which is being blocked by Turkey. If it does manage to join, it would leave Ireland one of just four EU nations not in Nato - Austria, Cyprus and Malta being the others.

Switzerland and Austria confirmed on Friday they would join 16 Nato countries in an initiative called Sky Shield aimed at upgrading Europe's air defences.

Nato used as a hammer

But Ben Tonra, a professor of international relations at University College Dublin, said Nato is far from being at the centre of Ireland's discussion on military neutrality. Instead, he said "pacifists" are using it as a tool to try to silence those calling for a change in the approach to defence.

“There’s no debate on Nato membership,” he told The National.

“There isn’t a single politician who has proposed that Ireland joins Nato. What is happening is a debate on Ireland’s security policy.

“The moment you start talking about defence and security those who want to defend the status quo say ‘you want to join Nato’.

“Nato is being used as a hammer to shut down the argument.”

Amid protests at public meetings and arguments on social media, Prof Tonra said the most crucial element of the conversation risks being buried.

"There is a general crisis in the defence forces," he explained. "We are incapable of even knowing what’s happening in our skies or in our seas,” he explained.

“But people are talking about defence in a way they have not before."

There has for many years been a widespread reluctance to engage in defence conversations because “it brings up a lot of historical ghosts”, he said.

The ongoing discussion explores whether Ireland should engage more with the EU on defence and security, and strengthen the formal relationship it has with Nato. In 1999 the nation joined as a member of the Nato Partnership for Peace programme and signed up to the alliance’s Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council.

Irish soldiers serving as UN peacekeepers in Lebanon. PA
Irish soldiers serving as UN peacekeepers in Lebanon. PA

Ireland relying on UK for to plug defence gaps

Cracks in Ireland’s defence structures have been exposed in recent years by reports suggesting the government had a secret pact with the UK to allow Royal Air Force fighter jets to operate in Irish sovereign airspace.

The bilateral agreement is understood to have been inked in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in the US. It permits RAF Typhoon supersonic fighters to intercept and shoot down rogue aircraft violating Irish airspace.

The reason behind such a deal is simple: decades of persistent underinvestment in the Irish military means the nation is not equipped with a primary radar system capable of detecting enemy aircraft once they have turned off their transponders. The Irish Air Corps does not have any planes that can fly high or fast enough to intercept such threats.

The emergence of details of the deal represented an embarrassment for the government in Dublin but military analysts had long suspected such an pact was in place.

“That was no surprise,” Dr Bury said, adding: "It's been well known for many years."

He called for a shake-up of defence policies in Ireland, and suggested the triple lock system for deploying troops overseas could be altered to raise the deployment threshold to 100 personnel.

Under the mechanism, any deployment of more than 12 Irish soldiers for peacekeeping or EU missions must be approved by the government in Dublin, the Dail (the lower house of the Irish legislature) and a UN resolution.

Mr Martin, the Tanaiste, has questioned whether the policy remains fit for purpose.

Ireland's military should be dealt with more seriously by politicians when allocating funding, Dr Bury said.

“We don’t have to be like the UK but we have to be able to monitor our airspace and waters and have a credible land force,” he added. “The navy needs to improve their radar, boats and hire more crew.”

James Ker-Lindsay, a professor of international relations at London School of Economics, said he was surprised by the reaction to a documentary he made about whether Ireland could be the next nation to reach for Nato.

“I was taken aback by just how vociferous Irish people are opposed to Nato," he said. They shout loudly. It’s difficult to get an idea of just how representative they are.

“But you are going to have a chunk of the population who are opposed to Nato. They believe Ireland must remain neutral at all costs."

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Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23

UAE fixtures:
Men

Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
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TICKETS

For tickets for the two-day Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) event, entitled Dubai Invasion 2019, on September 27 and 28 go to www.meraticket.com.

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At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

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Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

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RESULTS

5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Sean Kirrane (jockey), Khalifa Al Neyadi (trainer)

5.30pm: Falaj Hazza – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Arim W’Rsan, Dane O’Neill, Jaci Wickham

6pm: Al Basrah – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Kalifano De Ghazal, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi

6.30pm: Oud Al Touba – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Pharitz Oubai, Sean Kirrane, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami

7pm: Sieh bin Amaar – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Oxord, Richard Mullen, Abdalla Al Hammadi

7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: AF Ramz, Sean Kirrane, Khalifa Al Neyadi

8pm: Al Saad – Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Sea Skimmer, Gabriele Malune, Kareem Ramadan

Know your Camel lingo

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Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers

Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s

Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival

Racecard:
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3pm: Handicap; Dh80,000; 1,800m
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Mile Prep Rated Conditions; Dh110,000; 1,600m
4pm: Handicap; Dh95,000; 1,950m
4.30pm: Maiden; Dh65,000; 1,400m
5pm: Handicap; Dh85,000; 1,200m

WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

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3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES

(All games 4-3pm kick UAE time) Bayern Munich v Augsburg, Borussia Dortmund v Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg v Mainz , Eintracht Frankfurt v Freiburg, Union Berlin v RB Leipzig, Cologne v Schalke , Werder Bremen v Borussia Monchengladbach, Stuttgart v Arminia Bielefeld

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The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

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Five hymns the crowds can join in

Papal Mass will begin at 10.30am at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday

Some 17 hymns will be sung by a 120-strong UAE choir

Five hymns will be rehearsed with crowds on Tuesday morning before the Pope arrives at stadium

‘Christ be our Light’ as the entrance song

‘All that I am’ for the offertory or during the symbolic offering of gifts at the altar

‘Make me a Channel of your Peace’ and ‘Soul of my Saviour’ for the communion

‘Tell out my Soul’ as the final hymn after the blessings from the Pope

The choir will also sing the hymn ‘Legions of Heaven’ in Arabic as ‘Assakiroo Sama’

There are 15 Arabic speakers from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the choir that comprises residents from the Philippines, India, France, Italy, America, Netherlands, Armenia and Indonesia

The choir will be accompanied by a brass ensemble and an organ

They will practice for the first time at the stadium on the eve of the public mass on Monday evening 

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Updated: July 08, 2023, 5:00 AM`