In my opinion, Irish foreign and security policy and that of all European countries can go in two distinct directions. The first is the strengthening of NATO and by extension closer ties with the United States. The alternative is the creation of a European Union Defence alliance that would act on behalf and in conjunction with the United Nations.
The United States of America likes to portray itself as the land of the free and the defender of civil liberties everywhere. Unfortunately they do not live up to their own publicity when it comes to foreign affairs. There are countless examples of America's hypocritical approach to foreign policy. One of the most disgraceful examples of this was in Chile in 1974 when the United States helped to overthrow the democratically elected Socialist government in Chile and instead put in place a military government lead by one of the most brutal dictators of the century General Pinochet. The United States was also a party to the most appalling slaughter of civilians in Vietnam and Central America. While these events could be placed in the context of the Cold War with an equally hypocritical Soviet government in Russia the same cannot be said about events in more recent times. The American bombing of Sudan and Afghanistan last year as well as the NATO bombing of Serbia prove that America will do anything to ensure their Political and Economic interests are preserved. Ireland's entry to PFP is one of the most dangerous policy decisions ever made by an Irish government. This is because NATO has proven itself to be an aggressive military alliance. The defender and only through organisation that has the right to act Internationally in military matters with any moral integrity is the United Nations.
Ireland has played its' part in humanitarian peace keeping forces in the Lebanon and The Congo to name just two. The United Nations should not be the alley of any faction or group involved in a conflict it should be the alley of democracy and human rights. Events in Kosovo showed that military action must be a regrettable alternative in some situations although the nature of any such action is very important. I believe that the European Union should have a Common foreign and Security Policy which would when all diplomatic alternatives having failed engage in peace-making activities. For such an action to take place there must be two key requirements first of all every member of the European Union must be in agreement with the action and it must have the support of the United Nations Security Council. Although such a system is by no means perfect it is the only way to ensure democratic accountability to the process.
I believe that Ireland should be an enthusiastic advocate for such a system and the European Union which is slowly creating an alternative global Economic approach to the United States should also create a clear alternative in foreign policy and defence matters too. The future of Irish defence policy lies not in neutrality or in any NATO orchestrated organisations it lies through to the creation of democratic structures which are prepared to defend human rights for the many and not a select few.