Is Ireland Neutral?
17 July 2023
When I first saw Conor Gallagher's book, Is Ireland Neutral?, on shelf in a bookstore in Dublin my first thought was "is it?" And, yes, after sitting out of WWII it's a principle they've held to by not joining NATO and getting opt outs for defensive provisions in several successive EU treaties. Gallagher presents a discussion of what neutrality means for a country in the 20th and 21st centuries, and while the focus is Ireland there's a lot of comparison to other European neutrals, especially Switzerland. And since the book was published just this year this even includes a discussion of the economic sanctions against Russia and military aid to Ukraine, both of which Ireland signed up for. And with Finland and Sweden joining NATO, only Ireland, Austria, Malta & Cyprus remain outside that mutual defense block. Gallagher rightly points out the geographical differences, that is, an aggressive Russia next door, that pushed Finland and Sweden to forgo a neutrality they could not defend by themselves. Because, under the Hague Convention, neutrality is something which much be defended against belligerants during times of war. Switzerland is best example of this with nearly half of the men in the country trained and ready to be called up for military service at moments notice. Touring the defensive works Switzerland built from the base inside a mountain guarding Gottard pass to the Toblerone line, one realizes why the Nazis never invaded. Although now Switzerland, like Ireland and Austria, has geography in the form of non-threatening neighbors that make neutrality much easier to defend. In addition to Gallagher's comparisons to other countries he also discusses all the times Ireland was willing to give up neutrality, usually to end partition. They actually believed that their membership in NATO was important enough that America would force Britain to end partition when the alliance was formed after WWII. Even though Ireland has never built a military that was even capable of defending it's own island. Even today their entire military has barely 10,000 personnel. The navy has 4 ships in operation, the air force doesn't have any fighter jets, and the army has no tanks. Several times more US troops pass through Shannon airport every year than Ireland has itself. Which is another point Gallagher makes about Irish neutrality - they allow the transport of men and muintions through their territory during times of war (e.g. Iraq) unsanctioned by the UN, a clear violation of neutrality. But the Irish are completely dependent on the British and Americans to protect the skies and the seas around them. Interestly when polled the Irish population hold their neutrality in high esteem and believe it to be worth defending ... at least with words.
