International Developments: Statements Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-06 ============================================================ Joe Conway (IND), Cultural and Educational Panel As the Minister of State said at the beginning of his peroration, it is difficult not to wake up in the mornings and be depressed when you look at the newspaper or for those of us who are budding insomniacs like myself to lay awake at night listening to the BBC World Service. We hear many things that would depress us, but the one thing we should all try to do in these trying times is not lose a sense of hope. If we lose that as a nation or as individuals, then we do not have an awful lot that can sustain us. The Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, rehearsed in rapid fire many things we have to be proud of in this country. I also welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, to the Chamber and I hope he is with us through the debate. It is no exaggeration to say we have a markedly unstable global environment. The risk assessment we had in 2024 instanced a significant increase in global insecurity and geopolitical division, driven by Russia's war in Ukraine, the Middle East conflict, which has arisen again lately, and the rising great power rivalry. Those dynamics will continue to shape our external environment through this year and the years to come. There are many challenges facing us. The one thing I have to make reference to is the traditional offshoot of our neutrality, that is, the underinvestment in our Defence Forces and our ability to counter cybersecurity breaches, as well as the protection of our cables along the coastline. That is a huge challenge for us and it points out that we have to work hand in glove with our near neighbour in the United Kingdom and our European partners in the EU. The problem of international relations is so complex and widespread that it is very hard to get a logical train of thought through it. However, I compliment Senator Kelleher for his courage at the outset of his contribution in making reference to what he called, and what most of the right-thinking people would call, the genocide that has occurred in the Middle East over the past couple of years. We are seeing a continuation of it. In the midst of a so-called ceasefire, we still see egregious and outrageous behaviour by the Israeli state against defenceless people and those who are working in very strained circumstances to give succour, care and health opportunities, as well as the journalists who try to report there. It is beyond belief. I am well into my eighth decade on this planet, and as a father and grandfather, I sometimes despair about the sort of country and world we are legating to the next generation. The example of the so-called great powers is not an example to be followed. The work we do in our European community is praiseworthy but I can see a lot of incipient problems for the EU. In Hungary recently, we won the football game in extra time when Mr. Orbán was ejected from office, but in practically the same month, Mr. Radev was elected in Bulgaria and we have a general election coming up in Sweden in September. There is also an irrepressible growth of the far right in Sweden, which is certainly a change from the Sweden of 40 years ago. The danger of an alliance of that far-right caucus in the EU is that the ultimate aim and game plan of those people is undoubtedly to weaken the EU. As it weakens - and I think it is weakening because of that far-right influence - the people in Beijing and Moscow must be rubbing their hands in glee to see the great edifice of the EU being weakened by the people utilising migration and global problems to stir up what can only be called hate and an aversion to the weakest people we give succour and shelter to in this country. That will be a great challenge for us going forward in the times to come. I am encouraged by the talk from the Taoiseach and the wider Government that they are going to increase investment in defence. Unless we as Europeans bolster our defences substantially, it is not going to fare well for us. There are many things that replicate the Europe of the late 1930s, when there was a policy of appeasement by the great powers. There was just about any decision taken that would not involve going back to war again. None of us is a warmonger, but the price we pay for peace is an eternal readiness for conflict. Unless we are strong and are treated and considered as capable foes - that is a very dangerous thing to say - we will not be able to show we have a capability of defending ourselves as Europeans. That is not just on a battlefield, God help us, but in all the other ways that the sinister forces we see at play in Ukraine, as were instanced by the Minister of State, are all around us. It is an onslaught on liberal democracy and something that depresses me greatly, but I have an essential belief in the goodness of humanity and an essential and irrepressible hope that people of fundamental good will and humanity, as Senator Kelleher mentioned, will conquer in the long run. As a small country on the western periphery of Europe, we have our part to play, but we certainly have our exceedingly great challenges. As people who are elected to office, our Government is faced with great challenges. I bless its efforts, but there are great challenges ahead. I hope i ndeireadh na Dála go n-éireoidh linn go léir. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-06/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:54+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-05-06