Future of world is in our hands

TODAY brings an end to a public consultation process which few of us may have noticed.

At the end of November, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore announced a review of Ireland’s foreign policy, and invited members of the public to have a say on what our foreign policy priorities and goals should be. Unfortunately, the discussion about “how we can continue to serve the interests of the Irish people through active international engagement” has gone pretty quiet.

Yet this is an important discussion. As Mr Gilmore said: “Our foreign policy is a statement of who we are as a people. It is the means by which we promote our values and pursue our interests abroad. Through it, we pursue economic prosperity and promote peace and security in Ireland and the wider world.”