Whitaker Institute member Prof Ray Murphy, of the Conflict, Humanitarianism and Security Cluster, has written a new piece for RTÉ Brainstorm. The article considers whether Ireland should join NATO.

Members of the Irish Defence Forces preparing for UN peacekeeping duties in Lebannon in 2021

Analysis: it is unlikely that the majority of the Irish population would support Ireland joining NATO

According to its official website, NATO ‘promotes democratic values and enables members to consult and cooperate on defence and security-related issues…..NATO is committed to peaceful resolution of disputes. If diplomatic efforts fail, it has the military power to undertake crisis management operations’. In reality, it is a collective defence organisation based on an international treaty, Article 5 of which provides that the parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack on them all.

Article 5 was invoked in response to the Al-Qaeda September 11th 2001 attacks on the United States. There were a number of remarkable aspects to this, chiefly that it led to military action outside of Europe in Afghanistan and with the support of the UN. This was not what the founders had envisioned for NATO, but it was evidence of its ability to adapt.

Even then, though, cracks in the edifice were evident with resentment that some member states were shouldering an unfair burden. Interventions in Afghanistan and Libya have come at an enormous human cost and the consequences will be felt for generations to come. Continue reading…