Onward from 'Angola'

Marking the ministers: With a general election around the corner, the short series in which Irish Times writers assess the performance of Government ministers continues. Beginning with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, today; the Minster for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke; Minister for Defence, Mr Smith; and Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, Mr Ahern also come under the spotlight today.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Brian Cowen

Track record

Brian Cowen is a rising star in Fianna Fáil. Should Bertie Ahern walk under a bus, he would be a strong contender for the leadership, with Health Minister Micheál Martin as his only credible rival.

Cowen's public reputation has been built largely on his parliamentary performance. Known as the Rottweiler of Leinster House, he gives a good account of himself in the most bruising Dáil exchanges. His no-nonsense approach has won the admiration of backbenchers and party footsoldiers alike. Cowen is their answer to the snide attacks of opposition and media.

But what of his performance as a minister? When he was Minister for Health he dubbed that notoriously challenging brief "Angola" because there were so many landmines.

Now he is responsible for Irish policy towards the real Angola, with the rest of the world thrown in for good measure. How is he doing since he took over Foreign Affairs in January 2000? It depends on your political perspective.

If you are hostile, or at least sceptical, towards the burgeoning US role as world policeman, you will probably consider Cowen too closely aligned with Washington. The cataclysmic events of September 11th evoked deep and widespread sympathy in Ireland on a human level. This did not always translate into political support for the US "war on terrorism". But while some commentators believed Irish public opinion was insufficiently "on side", they could hardly fault the Government, with Washington in principle from the moment those planes crashed into the World Trade Centre.

Cowen was to the forefront in this respect, although he was careful to channel his support through the UN, which endorsed the US right to self-defence under the Charter. He also gave approval for US planes to use Irish airspace and landing facilities if required, a gesture that turned out to be more symbolic than practical.

On September 11th itself, Cowen was on his way to Gaza City to meet the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat. Given all the uncertainty at the time and suggestions that the Palestinians might even have instigated the attacks, it was an act of some political courage on the Minister's part to proceed with the meeting.

His admirers, including many Iveagh House officials, speak in complimentary terms about his ability to grasp a brief at speed as well as his intelligence and skill in negotiation. The mandarins are happy to have a minister who can talk to his German counterpart Joschka Fischer and his French opposite number, Hubert Vedrine, on equal terms.

His critics complain that he is more a safe pair of hands than a visionary. While conceding that he has "kept the show on the road", they accuse him of excessive caution and lament his failure to take imaginative initiatives. But his tenure has been marked by a distaste for "grandstanding" and a preference for quiet diplomacy.

Main achievement

Cowen has played a significant behind-the-scenes role, with Bertie Ahern, in the re- establishment of the Northern Ireland power-sharing executive. He put in long hours on the recondite aspects of policing and worked hard on building up a rapport with such key figures as Martin McGuinness.

Biggest failure

Although he worked hard for a Yes vote, the rejection of the Nice Treaty in the referendum will be seen as the greatest failure of his term in office.

Prospects

The smart money sees him taking over from Charlie McCreevy at Finance (whether in Government or on the opposition front bench). Cowen's future looks bright, but the Rottweiler may well turn out to be a Labrador at heart.

Deaglán de Bréadún, Foreign Affairs Correspondent

OPPOSITION PERFORMANCE

Fine Gael

Jim O'Keeffe

O'Keeffe served as a junior minister in the Department in the 1980s, and clearly revels in the portfolio.

He is an experienced, competent performer with a thorough knowledge of his brief. Criticism of the Government is delivered in his pronounced west Cork tones, sometimes with a clever turn of phrase.

O'Keeffe backed Michael Noonan for the leadership and was rewarded with the senior and high-profile spokesmanship.

He recently criticised the Government for failing to appoint a minister for European affairs. It is a job that would be high on his list of preferences if Fine Gael returns to office.

Labour

Michael D. Higgins

Des O'Malley's prediction that Higgins would go mad in Government was shown to be very wrong when the Rainbow took over.

Higgins revelled in ministerial office and would clearly love to return, preferably with the portfolio he currently holds in Opposition.

A man of passionate convictions, he is capable of outbursts of verbal outrage on just about any issue he raises in the Dáil. Leinster House observers believe that he would do well to cool it a little at times.

Although sometimes long-winded, he can also be sharp and witty. He is a tireless worker on issues which interest him. He is strongly committed to maintaining Irish neutrality in international security matters.

Despite the reversal of his opposition to Labour entering coalition some years ago, Higgins remains a respected figure on the Left of Irish politics.

Michael O'Regan, Parliamentary Reporter