Frank Aiken: European Federation and United Nations Internationalism

Abstract

This paper addresses the perceived conflict between Ireland's independent stance in the United Nations and its diplomatic efforts to convince Europe and the United States of its willingness to embrace the political implications of EEC membership. I argue that undue emphasis has been placed on this conflict. Indeed, the tension between the material aims of European policy and moral, principled independence in the UN was sustainable. That two competing policies coexisted was largely due to Frank Aiken, the minister for external affairs, who championed an unaligned position in the UN General Assembly. However, his personality alone could not sustain a coherent independent foreign policy, as Ireland's national interest was served by increasingly complex policies.