Irish neutrality

Started by seafoid, February 20, 2023, 03:10:45 PM

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seafoid

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2023/02/11/neutrality-no-longer-seen-as-viable-posture-for-europe-post-ukraine/

Ukraine was the point of no return in Finland attitudes. "Neutrality" has long evolved into "military non-alignment" and a gradual closening to Nato, now membership. For years polls had shown only 22 – 25 per cent supported joining Nato. But by June 2022 it was 75 per cent. And Sweden followed.
Even in Switzerland, officially neutral since 1815, 52 per cent of respondents surveyed in May and June favoured closer links with Nato.
Support for neutrality in Austria remains high, although EU accession in 1995 was a clear sign of transition to a broader interpretation of neutrality. Of those surveyed recently only 16 per cent favour joining Nato. But, surrounded by five Nato members, Austrians feel protected and it has been taken for granted that Austria can rely on external help in the event of an attack.
It shares with Ireland the largely unspoken assumption of a Nato security blanket, essentially freeriding on neighbours' willingness to come to our defence if attacked, a commitment made explicit now in the EU treaty. In Ireland, inevitably, squaring that reality will mean a gradual de facto reimagining of "neutrality" for a new age, initially with a commitment to a 50 per cent increase in defence spending.

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2023/02/06/defence-forces-vulnerable-as-irish-neutrality-over-finnish-military-expert-claims/
Lieut Gen Pulkkinen said a lack of resources within the Naval Service and Air Corps represented a serious "vulnerability" for the Republic. He agreed that, at present, if a significant threat emerged – such as the presence of a hostile nation's military in Irish airspace – Ireland would be dependent on Britain's Royal Air Force responding to investigate or, in an extreme scenario, take more lethal action.
Defence Forces officers also remain very concerned that Ireland does not have primary surveillance radar to monitor the country's airspace, which they describe as "basic" technology.
Asked what Ireland's defence vulnerabilities were and how they should be addressed, Lieut Gen Pulkkinen said: "Provide your Defence Forces with sustainable and reasonable long-term funding, that's one of the vulnerabilities you have inside your military."
Due to the changing security climate – with a much more aggressive Russia and cyberthreats coming from teams of hackers backed by rogue states – he believed "traditional neutrality is over". Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he said all countries had to "adapt" in their preparedness to defend themselves, starting with being able to monitor their seas and airspace.
Lieut Gen Pulkkinen said the consequences of the war – higher inflation, increased fuel and energy prices, and millions of displaced Ukrainians – demonstrate how "everything could be weaponised... food, energy, human beings". This, he said, underlined the need for a "strong and agile" Defence Forces.
"f**k it, just score"- Donaghy   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbxG2WwVRjU

Aristo 60