Ireland’s Place In The Imperialist Murder Machine
This month bears witness to a rather macabre anniversary, one that will be celebrated by few.
There will be no toasts, no parties nor joyous reunions. For this month, March 18 to be exact, witnesses the fifth anniversary of the illegal invasion of Iraq. With over one million Iraqi civilians dead, a nation in ruins, a people in chains and a region on fire, few in Ireland would question the folly of this imperialist adventure.
But fewer still will cast a critical eye over Ireland’s involvement in the invasion and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. So, rather than solely engaging in denunciations of the Anglo-US coalition, an entirely more fruitful enterprise would be for the people of Ireland to critically examine the actions of those in Leinster House. Uncover that which they would prefer hidden and pressurise here at home to help the victims of imperialism abroad.
Thankfully, there are those attempting to do just that. In his article, Ireland’s Place in the Imperialist Murder Machine, Dr David Morrison contrasts the Twenty-Six County administration’s declaration to “Make Neutrality Count” with the succour it gives Anglo-American coalition forces.
In fact, whilst David Morrison acknowledges that one “would search in vain the ‘Programme for Government’ for any mention of actual policy – past, present or future – on Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Palestine,” it was a “racing certainty” that the Twenty-Six County administration would continue to fall in behind the wars and occupations of the Anglo-US crusaders.
Shannon
Whilst the Twenty-Six County administration hasn’t formally joined the ‘coalition of the willing’, Dr Morrison argues that, by allowing over one million US military personnel, to pass through Shannon on almost 9,000 flights, Bertie Ahern’s establishment has, in fact, “provided far more assistance to the war effort than most of the 30 or so members of the ‘coalition of the willing’ with troops in Iraq, whose contribution is useful to the US politically, but of little or no military value.”
Afghanistan
Morrison outlines Ireland’s role in the Anglo-US war machine:
“Ireland isn’t formally a member of the ‘coalition of the willing’ in Iraq”,Yet he declares, “it is a member of the ‘coalition of the willing’ in Afghanistan. Ireland has had seven military personnel serving with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan since July 5 2002.”
Established in December 2001 following the US/British invasion of Afghanistan, the ISAF was initially tasked with supporting the Afghan Interim Authority, which had been cobbled together by the US.
However, its initial peacekeeping role has been consistently expanded by the UN Security Council and, in 2003, the ISAF fell under the direct command of NATO. It wasn’t long before NATO totally perverted the proposed nature of the ISAF by employing it in an “offensive role in southern Afghanistan that had previously been the business of US forces”.
Dr Morrison goes on to declare that the Twenty-Six County administration:
“…justifies its participation in the ISAF on the grounds that it was established by and continues to operate under UN Security Council resolutions. This is true: all military action taken by the ISAF in Afghanistan is authorised by the UN. Every Afghan killed…every Afghan village flattened by the ISAF has been [carried out] under a proper UN Mandate.”
The Twenty-Six County administration is, however, under no obligation to supply cannon fodder to this imperialistic enterprise. It would have been a more honourable decision had Bertie Ahern joined the ranks of the more than 150 states that steadfastly refused to send any military personnel to assist the Anglo-US invasion.
Iraq
Morrison contends that the Twenty-Six County administration “justifies allowing the US the use of Shannon by saying that military action by the US-led occupation forces in Iraq is authorised by the UN Security Council. Again this is true today, but it wasn’t true at the time of the invasion in March 2003, when Ireland was permitting the US to use Shannon.”
So, whilst the UN has urged member states to contribute towards this criminal enterprise, it must be re-asserted that the Dublin government is not compelled to do so. Bertie Ahern and his establishment have chosen to allow the US to ferry troops through Shannon, implicating Ireland in the atrocities of Anglo-US imperialism. This is in stark contrast to over 150 states, the vast majority of the countries of this world that have quite ethically refused to offer the US/British any assistance over Iraq.
EU Common Foreign and Security Policy
The Twenty-Six County administration has given its assent to a common EU foreign policy under the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) mechanism.
It has been argued by David Morrison that:
“in theory, each state has a veto, but in practice the large states, and especially the [British], get their way. These days it can be guaranteed that, if the EU adopts a common policy on an issue, it will be the [British] policy…”
Thus where a common policy has been reached, or bullied, the EU acts and votes en bloc. The militaristic preferences of the EU’s leading member states and the increased powers enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty, lay bare the future intentions of the unrepresentative and undemocratic bureaucrats of the EU and should strengthen the resolve of the ‘No Campaign’.
Having considered all of the above, it’s clear that what we are faced with on March 18 is not simply the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq by an Anglo-US coalition.
No, the anniversary is much graver than that. What we witness on the March 18 is the fifth anniversary of an Anglo-US invasion, which enjoyed the absolute support of the Twenty-Six County administration.
An administration which gave succour to coalition forces on their way to invade and occupy Iraq.
An administration which placed its own troops under the direct command of NATO forces in Afghanistan, in what may have been offensive duties.
An administration which has already assented to a common foreign policy under the bullying influence of the British state.
An administration which, through all of these criminal enterprises, has fatally contravened Irish neutrality in international affairs and declared its hand for the ‘imperialist murder machine’.