Ireland's neutrality increasingly under the spotlight

Irish Post

7 hours ago

AS NATO defence spending dramatically ramps up, especially because of Russia's war in Ukraine, Ireland's long-standing stance of military neutrality is coming under more scrutiny.
The Irish government says it doesn't want to join NATO, but recent events have made people think more seriously about whether neutrality is still viable in a world that has seen many, including usually non-combative countries like Germany and those in Scandinavia, dramatically increase defence spending.
Ireland is very important strategically because of its position in the North Atlantic and is a hub for underwater cables that carry much of the world's internet traffic and money transfers.
There have been genuine threats in recent years of Russian submarines working near these cables, raising concerns about possible sabotage or spying.
Russian military planes have also been entering Irish airspace in recent years and often don't alert civilian aviation authorities on the ground.
Ireland doesn't have any fighter jets or the ability to keep secure its vast maritime territory, so it relies largely on NATO countries, especially Britain, to keep an eye on its skies and waters.
Some EU officials have criticised this reliance, saying that Ireland is getting NATO's protection without contributing itself.
Irish politicians have said again and again that they want to stay neutral, but other EU and NATO countries have said they would favour Ireland joining the alliance in the future.
The president of Lithuania was eager and vocal in a recent interview with The Times about the concept of Ireland joining NATO one day: he said that democratic countries confront similar threats and that a bigger alliance makes it harder for destabilising forces to get in.
Even while there is pressure from outside, there is still a lot of reluctance to joining NATO.
Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar recently stressed how much it will cost Ireland to meet NATO's defence budget commitments.
He said that to reach a 5% GDP target, Ireland would have to spend more on defence than it does on health right now.
This could mean that money would have to be taken away from other public services. Varadkar, who used to advocate more defence spending through European cooperation structures, said that joining NATO would be too expensive and that he's 'never been so glad' Ireland is not in the alliance.
However, the 5% target is really a 3.5% target, as the remaining 1.5% can be spent on practically anything from infrastructure to healthcare.
President Michael D. Higgins has also spoken out against the world's growing arms race.
He criticised the funding of new weapons, saying that it takes attention and resources away from other important global problems, including poverty, environmental damage and social inequity.
Ireland spends only around 0.27% of its GDP on defence, very far beneath NATO or other western nation's standards.
Although Ireland has a 'Memorandum of Understanding' with Britain (non-binding), critics say that if Ireland wants to keep getting the security help it gets from NATO partners, it may need to do more to help with collective defence or at least change what it means to be neutral.
While many still value neutrality as a cornerstone of Ireland's identity, others believe the time has come for a more pragmatic approach.
See More: Defence, Michael D Higgins, NATO, Russia, Russia-Ukraine War