Damage to the vital infrastructure also risks huge disruption in mainland Europe
Ireland’s defence architecture is defined by its ironclad neutrality. But Russia’s alleged hybrid activity against undersea cables is driving home a stark lesson: Neutrality may not keep Dublin off Moscow’s target list.
After independence, Dublin embraced neutrality as the best guarantee against any external threats. But Russia’s war in Ukraine is challenging the defence strategy of a country whose defence expenditure has historically stood far below 1% of GDP, at around 0.2% last year.
“There’s a growing acknowledgement in Ireland that your geography and your neutral status do not provide protection,” said Cian FitzGerald, senior researcher at the Dublin-based Institute of International and European Affairs.
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