Sir, - I wholeheartedly agree with Kevin Myers's sentiments on Irish neutrality (An Irishman's Diary, June 6th). During the 40 years of the Cold War, Ireland was content to shelter under the umbrella of military protection provided by the US and NATO, contributing nothing to this endeavour. On the contrary, we took all possible subsidies available to us from Europe, which, together with American investment, created our current affluence.
It is now payback time. Let us be willing, as a mature member nation, to play our full part militarily in the protection of Europe and put an end to our illogical neutrality. - Yours, etc.,
F. CRONIN,
St Margaret's Park,
Malahide,
Co Dublin.
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Sir, - Kevin Myers and others who advocate that Ireland should abandon its policy of neutrality should read Arundhati Roy's article in your edition of June 6th. Nuclear holocaust is just a missile away in South Asia and the horrors of 50,000 young Irishmen dead in the trenches of the first World War is long forgotten. Bringing up such images will draw howls of "scaremongering" from all the usual suspects. Of course it's scary, especially for those of us who understand the reality of modern war, where body bags are just cosmetic conveniences to hide the fact that there is no honour in war, no romance, and very often no human remains worth collecting to give the relatives a sense of closure.
I am neither anti-American nor anti-European. I welcome Ireland's good relationship with the US, where I, like most Irish people have an abundance of relatives. But I believe that allowing the US air force to use our airports to target its enemies is unnecessary and unwise, because it only serves to reduce the risk to the US by providing easier terrorist targets in soft-security zones such as Ireland.
I welcome an inclusive and expanded Europe. But our vision of an expanded Europe should include the Muslim cheap labour in Germany and France, as well as the Muslims of Bosnia, Albania, and Turkey. Only by acknowledging that the myth of the war of civilizations is a lie, and by embracing diversity with generosity, will we all survive in this very crowded but still beautiful world. Being truly scared of nuclear holocaust and admitting that just wars are very rare indeed is the first step towards sustainable peace and justice.
It is not the "tree-hugging greens" we should be scared of but voodoo voices like Kevin Myers, preaching that military might is right, as long as there is money in it for us. This is what grown-ups do, he says.
Yes, and it's high time such grown-ups grew up and stopped playing with fire, and guns, and worse. - Yours, etc.,
EDWARD HORGAN,
Newtown,
Castletroy,
Limerick.