Sir, - As the Nice Treaty referendum appears on the horizon once again, the question of Irish neutrality is again being raised around the country.
Ireland's military status does not conform to neutrality as outlined in international treaties, as it is not a constitutional requirement, but rather a tradition. When adopted in the second World War, it served to promote a sense of independence and sovereignty both domestically and abroad.
After the war Ireland entered negotiations to join NATO and decided not to only on grounds of partition. In the 1960s Sean Lemass stated that "a military commitment will be an inevitable consequence of our joining the Common Market and ultimately we would be prepared to yield even the technical label of neutrality.
"We are prepared to go into this integrated Europe without any reservation as to how far this will take us in the field of foreign policy and defence."
Ireland's frequent deployment of troops overseas (including Special Forces Rangers with peace enforcement mandates) is clearly not the action of a neutral state, but of a non-aligned one which recognises that in this post-Cold War environment, it is a moral and humanitarian necessity to maintain peace and security both in Europe and around the globe. This is borne out not only by our deployment of forces to regional hot spots such as East Timor, but by our preparation of a battalion for use by the European Rapid Reaction Force, and our support for NATO action in Kosovo (unlike truly neutral Austria which withheld support and denied the use of its airspace). Recent support for allied action in Afghanistan also proves we recognise the realities of our position on the international stage and within the EU as being far from that of a truly neutral/introspective state.
Sovereignty is the key to the debate on neutrality in Ireland. It is not a fear of participating with our friends and allies in the EU that concerns people, but a fear that we will do so on someone else's terms, thus eroding our own sovereignty.
This perceived loss is the same one that has so far kept the UK out of the euro zone. I believe the time has come for a wide-ranging debate, and a campaign that is not afraid to break the neutrality taboo by questioning how relevant this can really be today.
It is vital too that at a European level we are active in shaping the future of EU common foreign policy and defence, for if we do not, how can we complain in the future if we have been sidelined by a policy that received no input from our ideals and beliefs? After all, people who do not bother to vote in an election have no right to complain about the policies of the subsequent Government!
Handled correctly, this process of open, active involvement could gain the public's support for eventually participating in the defence of a Union that we have helped to forge. - Yours, etc.,
DONOGH ÓG
MacCARTHY-MORROGH,
Woodhill Villas,
Tivoli,
Cork.