Defending Ireland

the long version

"This book is the first to analyse the evolution of internal security and external defence policy and practice in Ireland from independence to the present day."--BOOK JACKET. "The author begins by examining the very limited concept of external defence understood by the first generation of Irish leaders and the impact which that has had on the defence forces. He deals with the internal security roles of the defence forces and the Garda since 1922, and he charts the state's repeated struggles with the IRA and with other perceived internal and external threats to stability, including communists, would-be immigrants, and foreign agents."--BOOK JACKET. "In conclusion, the book analyses significant post-Second World War developments including anti-communist co-operation with Western powers, the emergence of UN service as a key element of Irish foreign and defence policy, the state's response to the Northern Ireland crisis since 1969, and Ireland's difficulties in addressing the collective security dilemmas facing the European Union in the post-Cold War era. It is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the development of independent Ireland since 1922."--BOOK JACKET.