Does Ireland's neutrality leave room for increased defence spending?

Does Ireland's neutrality leave room for increased defence spending?

The appearance of drones of unknown origin in Dublin last week around the time of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy's visit again highlighted the security challenges of the present day and Ireland's lack of capability to act in its own defence.


Neutrality remains a popular policy, as again demonstrated recently by the election of Catherine Connolly as president. That popularity does not answer the question of how much Ireland should invest in its own defence. Ireland diverges from other neutral European countries in our low defence spending and reliance on others for protection, information and security. But against those calling for bigger defence budgets, others warn of militarisation and point out the money could be better spent elsewhere.


So does being a voice for peace preclude greater defence spending, or is defence spending a crucial part of a viable neutrality? On today's podcast Hugh is joined by Naomi O'Leary to pick apart the elements of Ireland's approach to defence and neutrality, how we compare to others and what questions will arise as Ireland comes under increasing pressure in Europe to boost capabilities.

Would you like to receive daily insights into world events delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Denis Staunton's Global Briefing newsletter here: irishtimes.com/newsletters/global-briefing/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Avsnitt(1005)

Pressure builds on Labour as austerity bites: Collapse, part two

Pressure builds on Labour as austerity bites: Collapse, part two

Inside Politics is coming to Galway in May for a live recording. Get your tickets here.In part two of this three-part series on Labour's harrowing experience in government from 2011 to 2016, Pat Leahy...

6 Apr 43min

Collapse: How Labour went from boom to bust

Collapse: How Labour went from boom to bust

Inside Politics is coming to Galway in May for a live recording. Get your tickets here.When Labour came to power in 2011 Ireland was in the depths of an economic crisis that had several more years to ...

3 Apr 44min

Is Ireland taking anti-Semitism seriously enough?

Is Ireland taking anti-Semitism seriously enough?

Oliver Sears, founder of Holocaust Awareness Ireland, joins Hugh to talk about his growing alarm at the rise of anti-Semitism in Ireland and what he sees as the failure to take it seriously. They disc...

1 Apr 1h 3min

Government can't help helping as fuel costs soar; and how many TDs are too many?

Government can't help helping as fuel costs soar; and how many TDs are too many?

This week the Government decided to unveil a €250 million package to help citizens meet the elevated cost of fuel. And this could be just the start of a series of new efforts to keep down the cost of ...

27 Mars 46min

Was Seán Lemass really Ireland's greatest taoiseach?

Was Seán Lemass really Ireland's greatest taoiseach?

Seán Lemass is remembered as the man who changed Ireland.Several opinion polls have noted Lemass as the country's most admired taoiseach.He never left any papers of autobiography, but rather twenty-tw...

25 Mars 47min

'In the pocket of US multinationals': How is Ireland seen by Europe?

'In the pocket of US multinationals': How is Ireland seen by Europe?

Eoin Drea is a senior researcher at the Wilfried Martens Centre, the official think tank of the European People’s Party (of which Fine Gael is a member), and an occasional contributor to the opinion p...

23 Mars 41min

In the shadow of the war in Iran, inflation and energy costs look set to climb ever higher

In the shadow of the war in Iran, inflation and energy costs look set to climb ever higher

Ellen Coyne and Jack Horgan-Jones join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics:· Israeli strikes on Iranian natural gas infrastructure marked an escalation in the US-Israeli war on Ira...

20 Mars 44min

The Taoiseach in the court of the mad king

The Taoiseach in the court of the mad king

Taoiseach Michel Martin has been meeting US president Donald Trump as part of the annual St Patrick’s Day pageantry. Martin once again faced the challenge of outlining Ireland’s positions on issues fr...

18 Mars 30min

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

aftonbladet-krim
svenska-fall
p3-krim
rss-krimstad
flashback-forever
spar
rss-sanning-konsekvens
rss-vad-fan-hande
aftonbladet-daily
motiv
rss-krimreportrarna
politiken
rss-klubbland-en-podd-mest-om-frolunda
grans
rss-flodet
rss-aftonbladet-krim
olyckan-inifran
krimmagasinet
rss-frandfors-horna
dagens-eko