Nervous State April 2022

Nervous State returns, with an hour-long special on Irish neutrality in theory and practice from 3-4pm this Sunday.

The tragic recent events in Ukraine have shook the political landscape across Europe, and brought us closer to a major land war across the continent than at any time since the end of the wars that ravaged the Balkans in the 1990s. Whilst Ireland is far from the frontline of the conflict, we can’t help but to be affected by it, be it by housing thousands of Ukrainian refugees or facing rising fuel prices as a result of disruptions.

Another, less immediate way in which we have been affected by this war is that voices calling for Ireland to abandon neutrality and join NATO have become prominent in our media and politics, with debates on the future of Irish neutrality becoming a fixture on the airwaves and in newspapers. For perhaps the first time since the outbreak of the second world war, the future of Irish neutrality going forward has come under serious question.

We’ll be considering the case for and against Irish neutrality, as well as just why the question has become so prominent in recent months. We’ll be discussing this with Dr Ben Tonra, Professor of International Relations at UCD, Roger Cole of Peace and Neutrality Alliance Ireland, Paulie Doyle, author of the recent article “The War On Ireland’s Neutrality” in Tribune Magazine and John Dolan, author and co-host of the Radio War Nerd podcast.

Bígí linn!

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