Paul Bradford (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this important international matter and I welcome the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Flanagan, and thank him for being present to hear my presentation. I am raising the issue of the ongoing ISIS threat because I am seriously concerned that, from an international perspective, neither the European Union nor, in particular, the United States is taking with sufficient seriousness the profound threat to what I would deem to be civilisation being posed by ISIS. When we hear of a group which brings along a body of six year old children to watch a beheading for educational purposes, we are starkly reminded of that with which it is we are dealing. Over the past number of years, the ISIS group has ploughed with alarming and frightening effect through Syria and Iraq to gain a major stronghold in these geographical areas.

During the course of the 20th century, the world had to deal with and eventually prevailed over threats from fascism, nazism and communism. In ISIS, we are dealing with a group which is just as dangerous, deranged and ideologically driven as those other groupings. There has been a campaign of terror, cultural vandalism and religious fundamentalism which is of such sufficient concern to us that we have to ensure there is a much stronger international response to ISIS. The group poses a threat to civilisation and to a peaceful world order. It is posing an immediate threat to the broader middle Eastern area of the world. In the medium to long term, it is a threat to the Western world and western civilisation. I am, therefore, both concerned and disappointed with the apparent total lack of a response by the broader international community.

The G7 group of countries met during the week. They had many pressing matters to consider but I did not read any great reports of progress on tackling the ISIS threat. The Administration of President Obama - a wonderful Administration which was to bring about hope and change - is now of such irrelevant import, it does not even appear to have a policy. The European Union presumably has a policy but we are not seeing any action. I am not sure what is the Irish involvement in the EU policy and I would like to hear from the Minister in that regard. Above all, I want the Minister to assure me that he, his officials, the Government and the Department are taking this matter seriously and that there will be a ramping up by the EU of action and of whatever type of intervention to which we can commit ourselves.Without abusing the words of a former Taoiseach, Mr. Jack Lynch, the world's civilisation cannot stand idly by. It is depressing, culturally, to see monuments thousands of years old being destroyed and cities and a civilisation being buried in ashes. That is bad, but we have also seen beheadings and other forms of execution, terror and the displacement of entire populations. That is not only a profound human rights issue but must also concern everybody interested in world peace and order. It is not a question of seeing if ISIS can be contained, as there is no place in the world's civilisation for a group like it. It must be tackled and removed from the map, politically and militarily. We must see the start of a substantive campaign against it in the near future. I would like to hear the Minister's observations.