Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

There was an important meeting between the EU and NATO in January and an EU-NATO co-operation agreement was signed on 10 January. One of the crucial points within it is as follows:

NATO remains the foundation of collective defence for its Allies and essential for Euro Atlantic security. We recognise the value of a stronger and more capable European defence that contributes positively to global and transatlantic security and is complementary to, and interoperable with NATO.

In other words, Europe should invest more in building bigger armies, but only to support the US-led alliance of NATO. One of the outcomes of the horrific Russian invasion of Ukraine has been the strengthening of the position of US imperialism, developing a clear hegemony over the process of European militarisation. That is part and parcel of an incredibly rapid process of militarisation taking place across the western world at this point in time. Sweden and Finland, two formerly neutral countries, have applied to join NATO and only Turkey's half-way opposition has delayed it until now. We have massive expansion of military budgets in Germany and in lots of other countries across Europe. We have the largest weapons transfer in history from western powers to Ukraine. In Ireland, one of two remaining formerly supposed neutral countries in the European Union, there has been a significant drive to abandon neutrality, to send troops to train Ukrainian soldiers alongside other European armies, to send equipment to Ukraine and to participate in the so-called Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which is described by the US Secretary of Defense as a NATO alliance.

We have massive expansion in the amount of NATO troops in eastern Europe, going from approximately 4,000 just over a year ago to more than 50,000 at this point in time. The very latest development is the sending of heavy tanks to Ukraine, Abrams from the US and Leopard 2s from Germany. There is even talk now of F-16s being sent to Ukraine. Who are the winners from all of this? It is the armaments corporations - the dealers of death and destruction. General Dynamics, which makes Abrams tanks and Stryker vehicles, reported a 15.5% increase in revenue in the fourth quarter of 2022. Raytheon Technologies, makers of the Stinger missile and Javelin launcher announced its profits had doubled in the last quarter of 2022. Lockheed Martin increased its revenues up to €15 billion for the last quarter of 2022, up 7%.

We must speak the truth. In the words of George Orwell, speaking the truth at a time of universal deceit is a revolutionary act. This is a time of universal deceit and incredible wartime propaganda in Russia but also in the west. The truth is that what we have seen is an horrific imperialist invasion by Russia of Ukraine. It is our comrades who are on the streets in Russia, in opposition to this war, who have been arrested for that. The truth is that it is the socialist left and People Before Profit who have been most consistent in our opposition to Putin, when Bertie Ahern was shaking his hand and when Tony Blair was rolling out the red carpet for him.

It is also true that what is happening at the moment is a proxy war between US-led western imperialism on the one hand and Russia on the other. In that conflict, neither side has the interests of ordinary people. Russia is looking to expand its area of influence after a period of retreat at the expense of the right to self-determination of ordinary people in Ukraine, but US imperialism in the west is seeking to hem in Russia and to prepare for a future conflict with China. It is ordinary people who are suffering. Instead of going along with the drive to war and with militarisation, ordinary people in Ireland should be raising their voice in opposition and in calling for peace. We must ring the warning bell and say that sending more and more heavy weaponry, which only goes in one direction - it is massive tanks now and it may be F-16s in a couple of months - is a big danger to the entire world. It does not bring peace any closer; instead, it even brings the danger of nuclear conflict that threatens all of humanity.

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