The Government has signalled once again its decision that Ireland should join Partnership for Peace, the NATO-sponsored organisation which enables non-members of that alliance to work with it on specific areas of military co-operation. It is expected this State could join before the end of the year, after an Oireachtas vote and, it is suggested, a de facto opportunity for the people to endorse the decision at the European elections in June.
It is right for Ireland to join the PFP. It would bring the State into the mainstream of security policy, along with nearly all other European states, whether neutral, non-aligned or allied. Membership of PFP is voluntary, bilateral and flexible and does not involve alliance commitments. It is dedicated to developing preparedness for military co-operation in humanitarian and peacekeeping tasks, according to specific agreements. It enables participating states to avail of best practice in these areas and gives an opportunity for involvement in an associated political forum, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. It has been supported by senior members of the defence forces, who see it as an essential means of developing their peacekeeping skills in the setting where new norms and techniques are actually being developed in Europe - by, among others, those neutral states closest to Ireland's position, such as Sweden, Finland, Austria and Switzerland.
But a shadow is cast over the decision to join PFP by the unfortunate manner in which the Fianna Fail party executed a political U-turn on the question and backed away from a commitment made before the last election to hold a referendum on it. The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has compared his change of mind to that of Sean Lemass, who originally opposed establishment of the Industrial Development Authority and later said, according to Michael Yeats's recent autobiographical memoir Cast a Cold Eye: "All right, so I changed my mind, what about it?"
There is, indeed, an honourable tradition along these lines, articulated by a man Lemass admired, John Maynard Keynes, who once said: "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, Sir?". Mr Ahern insisted, in his address to a European Movement seminar on PFP, that "it is the job of an Opposition to articulate the other point of view, to play devil's advocate, and to represent and provide a democratic channel for the view of those who are unhappy with Government decisions. But it is the job of the Government to do what is in the national interest".
It all depends on the importance of the issue. It is opportunist and cynical to ditch policies developed during election campaigns touching on what are defined as core issues of sovereignty such as has traditionally been argued by Fianna Fail to be the case on neutrality.
Critics recall the party's opposition to the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985-1986 which it proceeded to operate in office from 1987. Those who oppose Ireland joining PFP are understandably disillusioned. They ask how it is possible to trust referendum commitments given by political leaders on joining a military alliance such as NATO or an alliance-type commitment within the European Union, if election commitments are so blithely discarded. It all means the Government has a lot of ground to make up in convincing its opponents about the undoubted soundness of its legal advice that a referendum is not required to join PFP.