Conflict is inherent to the human experience. It has shaped our world since the earliest times when Ungo Bungo wanted Bongo Dongo's priceless large rock collection. To this day nothing had changed. With resources aplenty and neighbours who can't stand to live next to each other, many have resorted to conflict to get their way. It is no surprise that Prussian strategist Carl von Clausewitz's words still resonate to this day: "War is regarded as nothing but the continuation of state policy with other means."
And with the undeniable fact that war and conflict will always be with us so long as humans roam the earth, what has Ireland done to ensure its safety - especially in recent years with conventional warfare once again unfolding in Europe? Well, it turns out the answer is to do nothing. Since the inception of the state, Ireland has always pursued a policy of neutrality which has resulted in a defence force so neglected that when a Russian ship parked itself off our coast to investigate our underwater data cables that links Europe to the US - we could do nothing about it, and had to wait for the British RAF and Royal Navy to see them off. But how did we even get to this point? And were we ever really a neutral country that we can just neglect the importance of the defence of the island?
Join Arron and Conor this week as they look into the history of Irish neutrality, investigate times where the Irish state has very clearly taken sides in global conflicts, see how the Irish Defence Forces have been so neglected that estimates show they would be defeated in less than an hour, and discuss our vision for a much better and stronger army capable of safeguarding the people of Ireland.
This episode was presented by Arron Keegan and Conor Daly. The intro and outro music - Strollin' Along - was recorded by David Renda. Make sure to check us out on social media! Just search for "That's Old News" on TikTok, Instagram, and X/Twitter, or head to the link.tree in the podcast's about section!
Chapters:
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(00:00) Intro
(01:42) Context
(05:53) Historical Background
(11:12) Examples of Some Non-Neutral Actions
(24:44) Neglect of the IDF and Our Security Concerns
(44:10) Defending Ireland
(01:02:28) Inability to Safeguard the State
(01:08:32) Russia, the threat to Europe, and Irish Defence
(01:23:50) Ireland and the World Stage
(01:41:58) Our Conclusions
