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Ireland should be the nation with the table.
Read more about: Foreign Affairs 
Despite what many people think and probably myself include Ireland being not Neutral would make sod all difference in the World. We are never going to have a high tech military and trying to create a force that could slot into another larger force would probably be more of a hindrance then a help. Ireland being militarily active would be nothing but posturing. Likewise the position of the sunshine and lollipops brigade of the anti-war movement is equally useless and in some ways morally bankrupt. What we need is Ireland to act more proactively and say lads we have a table lets have a chat.
Reading this in the Daily Telegraph the other day I was struck by the fact that this line should have been about us.
Norwegian mediators have travelled to the town of Kilinochchi in northern Sri Lanka in a bid to end an outbreak of fighting between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels that has claimed more than 300 lives.
Why were we not the ones to send a delegation to Sri Lanka. Look at the position we are in. We are probably the only Western Nation ever to be colonised and thus can share a certain empathy with people who have suffered similar faith. Despite all the bitching we do about the North. It is a model for the world to see how terrorism can be defeated by co-operation and the will of the people. Our skill at negotiation has been demonstrated in the North and over the EU constitution. We are generally liked. We are in the EU and have excellent relations with America. Seriously what do the Norwegians have that we don’t?
When you look around the world it is clear that we can not just sit around and do nothing. To twiddle our thumbs singing Bob Dylan songs in Shannon while millions are dieing needlessly under brutal dictatorships and needless conflicts in the World is morally terrible. We need to make it our mission like all nations should to free everyone from these hardships and not ignore them.
We as a nation can never be like the US and use military force to take out regimes. It is simply not going to happen. We would be more of a hindrance then a help. So then what can we do to help people.
We offer our selves as the worlds honest broker. The world needs a system away from the inefficient UN. A place where whether or not a neighbouring country recognises Taiwan is not an issue. The world has various international courts for various things how about Ireland set up an international negotiating table. A place where people get a fair hearing.
We need to be pro-active (god I hate that word) in this and would need to use our influence with the EU and the US to encourage people to come to the table. But it is achievable and setting a formal non-bias place for conflict negotiations may well be the next step the world needs to take.
Take the daddy of all the conflicts the Israel-Palestine conflict. We have quiet strong links with the Palestine people and understand living through oppression, we also know what it is like to deal with terrorism (all be it not at the same scale) and have little history of anti-Semitism. Why not bring the sides to a table in Farmleigh?
Or maybe we should offer our services to places like Bakassi and Somalia where there is disputes and the need to start talking before anything gets ugly.
In the face of world terrorism and bloody conflicts we cannot simply stand idly by and do nothing. For a nation not to do something in these times when it can is a disgrace.
denigrating the anti-war movement and suggesting it is in some ways morally bankrupt, where do you get such ideas – no, on the other hand dont bother telling me.
Well in fairness I said the other side were posturing as well.
I’ve been thinking this for quite a while. I was in Sri Lanka a few times, and the Norwegians have been there for years and are accepted by both sides as neutral brokers and intermediaries.
There are plenty of conflicts around the world that the Irish Government could assist in. The problem is getting both sides to accept you (often it can be more difficult to get the Government to accept you than the “rebels”, as it means giving credence to the “rebels”).
simon
so the anti-war movement are posturing and the other side are posturing as well, as well as all their other mind-blowing sodding activities ( posturing)- isnt english wonderful- its the way you tell them isnt it ?
are you a spin doctor ?
just remember this buddy, the global anti – war movement havent levelled a building yet
just remember this buddy, the global anti – war movement havent levelled a building yet Neither has the anti Irish nutraility people in Ireland. Nor have the anti war movement stopped any masacars, did they stop Kosovo, the balkans etc etc?
Simon
They didnt stop the massacres and they didnt cause them.
Many intelligent people abhor war and believe that engaging with the other side / sides is preferable to bloody war
But what hope is there when these countries are armed to the teeth by what we laughingly call the civilised world ?
Smearing the anti-war movement is what people like you do when you cant think of anything else
engaging with the other side / sides is preferable to bloody war
Hence the theme of the post which i persume you read and not just read the first paragraph and decided to give out to me.
But what hope is there when these countries are armed to the teeth by what we laughingly call the civilised world
Many countries army other countries and not just the civilised world. Iran,Russia,China, North Korea all send weapons places don’t presume that if the west stoped sending arms war would stop. It wouldn’t. Most of the conflicts are fought with are A-47s which are Russian.
They didnt stop the massacres and they didnt cause them.
Do you think that if a country is in a position to do something to stop the suffering of other human beings that it has a moral obligation to what it takes even if it means war. Or do you think that if talks fail that we should just let people die.
That is what happened in Rwanda the world just let the masacares happen. Was that right? Is being anti-war in Ireland more inportant then the lives of 1 million people.