The Irish Independent's View: Counter-balance to 'might is right' must be found

Nuclear drills by Russia and Belarus near Europe’s borders create unease. The movement of 5,000 US troops to Poland is presented as a sign that Putin’s imperial ambitions require guarding. US secretary of state Marco Rubio said an upcoming NATO leaders’ summit in Turkey would be among the most important in NATO history. He described Russia’s campaign against the Baltics as concerning, citing worries about escalation, and said the US engages with NATO to prevent broader conflict. Taoiseach Micheál Martin met Pope Leo and emphasized political will as critical to progress in Northern Ireland. He said the Pope sought a shift away from increasing conflict and war, and highlighted multilateralism as solidarity erodes amid polarization, alliance breakdown, and the return of authoritarianism and populism.

"News that the US is moving 5,000 troops to Poland is a further indication that Vladimir Putin's imperial ambitions have to be guarded against. Speaking on Friday ahead of an upcoming summit in Turkey, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the gathering would be "one of the more important leaders' summit in the history of Nato". Mr Rubio said Russia's campaign against the Baltics was "concerning", with "worries about escalation"."

"He said the US was engaged with Nato because "it did not want it to lead to some broader conflict that can really lead to something far worse". By contrast, on the same day, Taoiseach Micheál Martin was meeting Pope Leo in the Vatican. Mr Martin told how Pope Leo was interested in the Northern Ireland peace process. The fact that there was fundamental political will on all sides was critical to progress, he told the Pope."

"This was a prerequisite for peace, but something that was clearly absent in the Middle East. Mr Martin said the Pope was anxious to try to get the world to move in a different direction "to the one it's moving in at the moment", which is "one of increasing conflict and war, which is having terrible effects on people". The Taoiseach was visiting the Vatican as part of preparations for Ireland's taking on the six-month EU presidency from July."

"Mr Martin spoke of how many EU countries are working hard to promote multilateralism. In an ever more isolationist and aggressively transactional world, polarisation is eroding solidarity and the breaking down of old alliances has allowed authoritarianism and populism to make a dangerous comeback. Mr Martin said the Pope had a deep interest in how to nurture peace and build reconciliation. The emergence of the "might is right" doctrine drives exponential growth in the military industri"

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