Irish Examiner view: President Higgins has helped to pique interest in the neutrality issue 

The matter of Irish military neutrality has rarely had so much airplay

The Consultative Forum on International Security Policy has commanded unprecedented headlines in the last week or so thanks to President Michael D Higgins' intervention on the line-up of contributors.

Every reader following the news will be well aware that the Consultative Forum on International Security Policy begins in Cork on Thursday, with experts on hand to discuss aspects of Irish security policy ranging from cybersecurity threats to the State’s neutrality.

It’s rare to have had so much discussion of a debate before that debate formally begins, but perhaps President Michael D Higgins can be thanked for that. The forum has commanded unprecedented headlines in the last week or so thanks to his intervention on the line-up of contributors, and on forum chair Louise Richardson in particular. The President’s apology to Prof Richardson was a natural conclusion to that news cycle, but awareness of the forum is now far higher than it was beforehand.