While defence is one of the dominant issues in the 2024 general election campaign, discussion of the appalling implications of a next world war is absent. With politicians unable to grasp the possibility and necessity for change, Sean Howard argues that genuinely deliberative democracy such as citizens’ assemblies is essential to let the people decide on the UK’s future defence posture.
Ireland’s Consultative Forum on International Security Policy
This summer Ireland has held its own public national debates on its security context and the potential future direction of Irish international security policy. Andrew Cottey discusses what Ireland did and the potential for any change to its tradition of military neutrality.
A Diplomatic Bridge over Troubled Irish Waters
While NATO and Russia rattle sabres over Ukraine, the neutral Irish government and a group of local fishermen secured an important agreement to relocate a Russian naval exercise out of their fishing grounds. The message, says Clem McCartney, is that a conciliatory approach can and does work.