Saving the Triple Lock The Neutrality Hawks v. The Government of Ireland

Ireland

29 August 2024

The Triple Lock is vital for preserving Ireland’s neutrality and sovereignty, particularly amid escalating global conflicts. Yet, the government plans to dismantle it without engaging in meaningful public debate.

Saving the Triple Lock: The Neutrality Hawks v. The Government of Ireland (PDF, 325.63 KB)

Average time to read: 25 minutes

Publication type: Policy briefing

Authors

Niamh Ní Bhriain

Introduction

Ireland is a neutral country. A central component of our neutrality is the Triple Lock. It means that Irish Defence forces can only be deployed on overseas missions that have been approved by:

the government,
Dáil Éireann,
have a UN mandate.

A three-tiered approval mechanism to authorise the deployment of troops to highly complex and volatile environments, including conflict zones, makes good sense. Yet the government is planning to dismantle it with no meaningful public debate. This is a fundamental policy shift that will seriously weaken Irish neutrality. It could see Irish troops being deployed, not to keep the peace within a UN mandated mission, but to wage war as part of a military alliance. What is so intolerable about the Triple Lock that the government wishes to abandon it? And why? This piece challenges the government’s rationale for dismantling the Triple Lock and calls instead for it to be protected as a core part of Irish neutrality.