Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

International peace, security and human rights are current issues because wherever one looks there are problems leading to human rights abuses, deprivation and atrocities. I agree with Deputy Smith's comments on the efficacy of the UN. Ireland has an exemplary record in this area but some of our colleagues at the UN, as well as certain of the agencies with which we operate, appear to have lost their ability to respond to situations. The UN is no longer capable of dealing with some of the threatening forces that have emerged, with the result that such forces believe they can operate with impunity. Our first experience of this issue was during the war in Bosnia, when the international community was challenged by a particular individual who knew the international community was powerless to deal with him. It so happened that it was possible for America to intervene through NATO, however. To what extent can we focus on the international situation and, mindful of the danger of intervening in the affairs of a sovereign state, undermine the ability of certain actors to violate human rights with impunity? How best can we focus our attention on that area?