Ireland's Foreign Relations in 2014

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This article examines aspects of Ireland's foreign relations in 2014. It begins with a brief overview of the domestic and international context in which Irish foreign policy was devised and implemented before discussing the significance of the major extension of Ireland's diplomatic network, which was announced at the beginning of the year. The decision to re-open the embassy to the Holy See provides the starting point for a broader discussion of the rapidly changing interactions between Ireland and the Vatican. Deteriorating relations between Russia and Ukraine are then examined, particularly the Irish response to the Kremlin's annexation of the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. The article proceeds to survey the high-level meetings that took place last year between the taoiseach and government representatives from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, highlighting the difficulty in striking a balance between economic interests and human-rights concerns. It then considers the response of the Irish political elite and the general public to the Israeli invasion of Gaza and the decision of both houses of the Oireachtas to support recognition of the state of Palestine. There are foci on various aspects of Ireland's relationship with the United States, including controversies surrounding exclusionary practices of the organisers of St Patrick's Day events, the use of Ireland by US companies for tax-avoidance purposes and the appointment of a US ambassador to Ireland after an unprecedented lapse of almost two years. The paper assesses Ireland's place in the continuing US-led ‘war on terror’, before discussing the achievements and challenges of the government's overseas aid programme. The interest of Ireland, north and south, in the referendum on Scottish independence is then appraised. Finally, the article sheds light on significant political events and processes in Northern Ireland and developments in Anglo-Irish relations generally during 2014.