Army puts neutral issue up in the air

Drafting in army personnel to support the gardaí in the security operation at Shannon Airport is a move which could aggravate an already fraught situation and provoke an even bigger backlash from anti-war protesters.

Ostensibly to protect State property, the military presence at the airport will be perceived, not just by protesters, as a further step by the Government to facilitate the safe passage of American personnel and equipment to a potential war theatre to engage in a contrived conflict with Iraq.

In doing so, the Government would appear to have committed this country, in the absence of another empowering United Nations mandate, to a White House policy, which is to militarily engage with Iraq, despite protestations that war is not inevitable.