As Western imperialist hysteria reaches fever pitch about the situation in Ukraine, with terrifying tales of imminent Russian invasion, there has been a concerted effort in the Free State towards full integration into the European and American military forces. As Republicans, we know that Free State neutrality has almost always been a fiction; the Free State is a semi colony and is firmly subordinated to the Western imperialist powers. And now it appears that it’s administration is preparing to do away with any pretence of neutrality altogether.
The inciting incident here is a planned Russian naval exercise in missile test, 240 kilometres off the coast of Cork. This exercise would take place within the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Free State. And as Simon Coveney himself admitted in a statement on Sunday evening:
“Under international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, states are entitled to carry out naval exercises in another states’ EEZ. The Irish Aviation Authority was informed of the exercise via standard procedures and has issued a statement to that effect.”
By any stretch of the imagination, an exercise by Russia so far from the coastline does not represent any major threat to Ireland. Particularly when similar NATO exercises and incursions have taken place in actual Irish territorial waters.
Coveney’s statement did not contain a denunciation of Russia, although it was noted that there were “concerns” and that it would be discussed in Brussels with other European leaders. Following the meeting in Brussels yesterday, Coveney’s tone has changed dramatically, with the Free State’s Foreign Affairs Minister saying:
“I have made it clear to the Russian Ambassador in Ireland that it’s not welcome.
“This is not a time to increase military activity and tension in the context of what is happening with and in Ukraine at the moment. It’s important that I brief my colleagues on those intentions.
“Russia, under international law, can take military exercises in international waters, but the fact they are choosing to do it on the west borders of the EU, off the Irish coast, is something that is in our view not welcome and not wanted right now, particularly in the coming weeks.”
Coveney went on to advocate action against Russia, sending:
“…a strong message of unity from the EU that should Russia decide to invade Ukraine militarily, that there would be very severe consequences of that action from an EU perspective in terms of sanction and restrictions that would follow very quickly, that I think would be the most comprehensive that the EU has put together in many decades.”
Whether this shift is a result of pressure from the European imperialists or not, Coveney and the Free State administration appear now to be leveraging this Russian naval exercise as an opportunity to place themselves at the forefront of the propaganda campaign against Russia over Ukraine, gaining favour with their British, European and American masters in the process. The international media in the past day has covered the story extensively, and there is nothing that the Free Staters like more than being flattered by international attention. The United States in particular has drummed up paranoid stories not only about an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine, but a threat to Europe as a whole. This absurd narrative of a Russian invasion of Irish waters feeds into this perfectly. This while American imperialism remains the chief aggressor in dozens of conflicts around the world today. The root of the conflict in Ukraine to begin with lies in the expansion of NATO include most Eastern European countries, and the attempt by the American coalition to surround Russia with allied states, including Ukraine.
Important background to this is that a process of integration with European military forces has already begun. The Free State has signed up to the E.U.’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) policy, widely believed to be a precursor to a European Army. While only a few minor programmes within the PESCO policy have been signed up to by the Free State military, it is all too possible that the recent warmongering will serve as an excuse to integrate the Free State more fully into the PESCO programme. The subordination of the Free State to Western imperialists extends also to providing a support role to NATO operations, as well as supposed U.N. “peacekeeping” operations such as the French counter-insurgency campaign in Mali. The Free State army was active in small numbers in the 20 year occupation of Afghanistan, providing bomb disposal services and training. For now Leinster House is only permitted to allow 12 soldiers at a time to be sent on these operations, but closer co-operation with NATO could well be on the cards.
British imperialism has also been at the forefront of the drive to war, recently having spread propaganda that Russia is currently plotting a coup to install a pro-Russian President in Ukraine, and massing its troops on the border as part of the NATO effort. It is highly possible that this upcoming Russian exercise is an attempt to antagonise Britain for its role by carrying out exercises in what Britain considers its own sphere of influence. Britain has already been given permission by Leinster House to patrol our skies and waters on an ongoing basis without opposition.
As the Russian Ambassador has pointed out at a press conference held Monday morning, naval exercises of this nature have been held in that part of the Atlantic and Irish waters for years. As recently as 2020 the NATO Exercise ‘Joint Warrior’ took place at least partly in Irish waters with the assent of the Free State Administration, with over 28 warships taking part. The fiction of Irish “neutrality” is clear in light of this hypocrisy.
The pro-imperialist Irish and international media are clear: Europe is a fortress and its time the Irish began manning the defences. Therefore we have been treated to dozens of articles demanding that the Free State Navy and Army be given significant budget increases to bring them in line with NATO countries in Europe in recent weeks. This despite the fact that the sole country Ireland has ever been at war with is “our treasured ally” Britain, the same imperialist power that continues a military occupation of six Irish Counties.
A good example of this subordination to Western Imperialism is an article written by columnist Dan O’Brien in the Business Post: O’Brien argues that “non-membership of NATO was not based on any deep belief in neutrality” and claims that we were “free riding” through the past cold war but that there should be “greater public discussion and debate on national security”. Always it is framed as a Ireland refusing to live up to the expectations of its benevolent partners. O’Brien is correct that for the Garrison Class that runs the Free State neutrality has never been a sincere belief, but obscures that the Irish people have long opposed intervention in imperialist wars, as can be seen by the enormous protests in Ireland against the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq in 2003. If a Free State neutrality policy still remains even as the current farce, it is because of that principled opposition by the Irish people.
Disgracefully, Sinn Féin have joined in on the scaremongering about Russian aggression and talking about increasing Free State military capacity. Clearly concerned that comments by Micheál Martin suggesting that they are “pro-Russia” may find traction among the garrison class, Sinn Féin have made it clear their opposition to the exercise in stronger terms than they have done for similar NATO exercise. In an official statement Saturday, SF Defence Spokesperson Sorca Clarke declared that the party is “deeply concerned that Russia is to conduct a missile test off the coast of County Cork in the first week of February” and criticises the current government for “placing increased pressure on our already over-stretched Defence Forces that successive governments have failed to invest in and support properly.” Mary Lou McDonald on Sunday expressed similar concerns and spoke about a “very worrying gap” in the state’s defences. Despite making occasional noises about British military exercises in Irish waters and airspaces, Sinn Fein has always been careful not to offend American imperialism, which it views as an important ally.
Free State politicians in joining the propaganda offensive against Russia are presenting a missile test in International waters as a greater infringement on Irish sovereignty than the thousands of British combat troops stationed on Irish soil in the Occupied Six Counties. This Occupation has never been resolutely opposed by the Dublin government. Naval exercises hundreds of kilometres away are seen as an unacceptable violation of our “neutrality” while American imperialism uses Shannon airport as a forward operating base to transfer tens of thousands of soldiers and tonnes of military equipment every year. The hypocrisy of the administration in Leinster House should be plain for all to see.
Now it has been announced that the South and West Fish Producers Organisation has decided to mobilise as part of the pro-war propaganda offensive, planning a “peaceful disruption” of the Russian naval exercise. The representative of this organisation Patrick Murphy claims this is to defend the biodiversity and marine life in Irish waters, and yet previous naval exercises by NATO and British imperialism faced no such opposition. The SWFPO is allowing itself to act as a tool of the imperialists, the same imperialists who do the most to destroy our fish stocks with their supertrawlers and regularly pollute our waters with their own naval operations and war games.
The Irish people should resolutely oppose any attempt to drag Ireland into an imperialist conflict between the great powers. Don’t be drawn in by the propaganda. The British, American and European imperialists who have drowned the Middle East in blood, the colonial powers who have crushed the Irish and millions of other oppressed peoples for centuries are not genuinely concerned with the rights of “small nations”.
At the same time, we bear no illusions about Russia, an imperialist power which has too frequently used military action against its neighbours, most recently intervening to crush working class protests in Kazakhstan. Ireland has no stake in these imperialist conflicts, and the lessons of previous world wars have shown that the Irish people have gained nothing in being sacrificed on the altar of capitalist profits.
As James Connolly declared on the dawn of the First World War:
“We Serve Neither King Nor Kaiser But Ireland”
Fight for national liberation and Socialist Revolution in Ireland! No to imperialist war!