Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the people who have been involved in our overseas peacekeeping, as the Minister of State will too, I am sure. I am thinking of people like a good friend of my own, Gunner Kevin Quinn from Blackwater, who has served with distinction overseas. This type of service is so important and I thank all the men and women from Ireland, as I know the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach would too, who have served us bravely and put themselves in danger's way to help stabilise safety and peacekeeping around the globe.

In the present day the world is in a precarious state. The first two decades of the 21st century have witnessed a proliferation of pre-emptive military actions such as the controversial invasion of Iraq and the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. On numerous occasions, dominant world powers have resorted to military force as a tool for foreign policy and power projection. This has had profound and destabilising repercussions, often extending beyond what the initiators had initially envisaged. The motion before us rightly underscores the critical fact that Ireland's choice not to partake in international military alliances has been a pivotal tenet of our foreign policy since the inception of the State.

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