A rules-based order - but who makes the rules?

Active neutrality is something that Irish people strongly identify with. The government’s attempts to remove the Triple Lock threatens to undermine this, writes Rory Rowan

Some of the devastation at Hiroshima after the atomic bomb was dropped by the US in the Second World War. The building on the right was preserved as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial and was visited by the Taoiseach during his recent four-day trip to Japan. File photo: Keystone/Getty Images

Earlier this month the Taoiseach Micheál Martin made a four-day trip to Japan to strengthen bi-lateral ties between the two countries.

During a speech at the opening of the new Ireland House in Tokyo the Taoiseach said: “The Ireland-Japan relationship is built on a solid foundation of shared and longstanding commitment to the rules-based international order. We share a vision for a future of peace and prosperity for all, built through international co-operation, democratic values and peaceful resolution of disputes.”