This is the first book to study the establishment and evolution of an Irish Peacekeeping Policy. The author uses declassified primary source materials released by the Irish National Archives and relies on the notes and discussions of Government and legislative debates to demonstrate how the Irish governmental system operated to make the crucial decisions to dispatch contingents to UN peacekeeping operations. Analysed are: declassified discussion, debate, draft and final memos, and cables between the UN and Irish Government as well as internal to the Irish Government. The author considers the three step process of the political discussions between Ireland and the UN: the coordination between Ireland and other states; the discussions among members of the Irish Government; and the debate within the Irish legislature. Through this the author aims to promote an understanding of the mechanics behind Ireland’s rise in reputation as a major backer and contributor to UN peacekeeping. At the same time, it presents an examination of a unique codified state process related to agreeing to the dispatch of personnel in support of UN peacekeeping.

In seeking to examine whether peacekeeping fundamentally changed between the Cold War and post-Cold War periods the author concludes that most peacekeeping operations were flawed due to the failure of UN members to agree upon various matters such as achievable objectives, provision of necessary resources and unrealistic expectations.

The Republic of Ireland has won its status as a leading contributor to international peacekeeping operations, which has been its key 'foreign policy' since the 1960s. But why is Ireland so keen to be involved? This new book asks and answers this and other key questions about Ireland's close involvement with the EU. It cannot simply be for charitable reasons, so is it because it is a neutral state or because it is a middle power? Overall, is Ireland's peacekeeping policy based on realism and liberalism? The characteristics of peacekeeping operations have changed significantly, especially since the end of the Cold War. Can Ireland survive as a traditional peacekeeping contributor or does it have to change its peacekeeping policy radically? And will it be able to maintain its distance from NATO and the EU in terms of peacekeeping operations? This title attempts to answer all of these questions, drawing on a wide range of resources from literature, Irish and UN documents, to newspapers and interviews.

Irish diplomacy at the United Nations in the post-war era constitutes a compelling chapter in the history of Irish foreign policy. In this period the Irish delegation played a highly visible, constructive role in the General Assembly. Memorable figures like Frank Aiken, Freddy Boland, Eamon Kennedy, Conor Cruise OÃ?Â?Ã?Â-Brien and Maire MacEntee pursued IrelandÃ?Â?Ã?Â-s interests and, simultaneously, contributed to the international order. They mitigated Cold War tensions; fostered decolonization efforts in Africa and Asia; supported the UN when the Soviet Union launched a vicious assault on the world body; facilitated Irish participation in the Congo peacekeeping operation; and sponsored several initiatives to do with troop withdrawal from Central Europe, the defence of human rights in Tibet, and the nuclear non-proliferation.

"A number of European countries are considering playing a greater military role in UN peacekeeping. However, they have many concerns about the UN's systems for managing missions, which differ markedly from NATO and EU standards. Ireland, which has been a regular contributor to UN forces throughout the post-Cold War period, is unusually well placed to address these concerns and sort fact from fiction about how the UN works. In this paper, based on in-depth interviews with Irish officers and policy-makers and UN officials, Edward Burke and Jonathan Marley give detailed insights into their experiences and lessons"--Publisher's description.

DIFP XI covers five critical years in Irish foreign policy when, at the height of the Cold War, Ireland played a central role between East and West at the United Nations General Assembly on issues ranging from nuclear disarmament to apartheid to the admission of Communist China. Significantly, it also covers the years that Irish Defence Forces personnel first participated in peacekeeping missions with the United Nations. The volume pays particular attention to the reaction of Iveagh House to UN operations in Congo's Katanga province and includes documents on the Niemba Ambush (November 1960), and the fighting at Jadotville and Elisabethville (September 1961).A constant theme through the volume is European integration and the volume includes the high-level diplomacy surrounding Ireland first application for membership of the European Economic Community in 1961. Using original declassified documents from the Department of Foreign Affairs' archive, the volume pieces together as no other source can, the secret top-level decision making by Minister for External Affairs Frank Aiken, Taoiseach Seán Lemass and Irish diplomats, including household names Conor Cruise O'Brien and Ireland's Ambassador to the UN Frederick Boland that saw 1960s Ireland play a central role on the world stage.

Irish diplomacy at the United Nations in the post-war era constitutes a compelling chapter in the history of Irish foreign policy. In this period the Irish delegation played a highly visible, constructive role in the General Assembly. Figures like Frank Aiken, Freddy Boland, Eamon Kennedy, Conor Cruise O'Brien and Maire MacEntee pursued Ireland's interests and simultaneously, contributed to the international order. They mitigated Cold War tensions; fostered decolonization efforts in Africa and Asia; supported the UN when the Soviet Union launched a vicious assault on the world body; facilitated Irish participation in the Congo peacekeeping operation; and sponsored several initiatives to do with troop withdrawal from Central Europe, the defence of human rights in Tibet, and nuclear non-proliferation.