I am cheered by the fact that Ireland has won a seat on the United Nations Security Council.
Ireland has generally played an honourable and at times an outstanding role in international affairs, in the interests of all mankind. Our soldiers – that is soldiers whose sworn allegiance has been to Ireland have helped or tried to keep peace in countries suffering from the rapacity of Empires such as Belgium’s, and Britain’s and have sacrificed their lives in the process.
It is 50 years this year since the NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY came into force, the culmination of a campaign inaugurated by Frank Aiken two years earlier, Ireland’s Minister for External Affairs.
Ireland was only admitted to the UN in 1955, for the “crime” of exercising her sovereign right to neutrality – right exercised by the Netherlands, Norway, the USSR, and the United States before they were attacked by Germany or Japan. But when Fianna Fail returned to power in 1957, Ireland played a vigorous role in promoting world peace and in decolonisation. She did not truckle to the great powers and supported the discussion of China’s admission to the UN when American Cardinals attempted to browbeat Irish diplomats to kow tow to the US State Department.
From 1932–1939 the Irish Free State played a principled, responsible and altruistic role in the League of Nations. The Free State head of government, Eamon de Valera also held the Irish External Affairs portfolio and three times was President of Leagues Council or General Assembly (1932, 1936,1939). De Valera demanded, in vain
that the members of the League honoured their Covenant with it. The Permanent members of its Council , Japan, Britain, France and Italy were the worst behaved. Japan (an ally of Britain) attacked the Chinese province of Manchuria in 1931. De Valera demanded the League apply effective sanctions to Japan. In vain. Italy attacked
Abyssinia, whose Emperor addressed the League at its Geneva HQ, demanding its protection. Dev demanded he got it and was prepared to put Irish Troops in the firing line as part of a League force in Abyssinia’s defence. The British preferred to profit from Mussolini’s crime, charging Suez Canal tolls for the Fascists’ troops, arms and
equipment passing through. Britain and France had, as founders of the League given themselves mandates over territories wrested from the Ottoman Empire and drawn borders around states designated Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine. In 1931 there was a disarmament conference which considered the banning of aerial bombing. Britain vetoed the proposal so that she could “police” Iraq from the air. Bombing town dwellers and villagers for non-payment of British-imposed taxes.
The problems the United Nations face arise from the crimes described above. Whatever government emerges in Dublin, Ireland’s UN representatives should follow the precedents set by De Valera and Frank Aiken.
I fear though they will not live up to those standards.
Dev and Aiken were following the policy favoured by Roger Casement who described Britain’s long planned war on Germany as THE CRIME AGAINST EUROPE>
The British Consul in Oslo tried to have Casement murdered in Norway or Denmark in 1915, a year and a half before that crime could be ceremonially accomplished in London followed by his character assassination.
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