Alanna O'Malley in The Irish Times about the risk of expelling the Russian ambassador in Ireland
Alanna O'Malley, Associate Professor at Leiden University Institute for History, talks about the possible expelling of the Russian ambassador Yuriy Filatov and the risks that come with the decision.
According to O'Malley the Iveah House is discussing the possibility of expelling the Russian ambasador after the Russian government's decision to sanciton 52 Irish officials. So far, the Irish Government response has been to keep a cool head and retain open channels of communication with Moscow. However, O'Malley says that by evicting the Russian envory, 'Not only would this pose a threat to the Irish Embassy and its staff in Moscow, but it would exacerbate tensions even further.'
Furthermore, O'Malley discusses Ireland's Netural position in the Ukraine conflict with Russia. 'The current situation with the Russian ambassador is a chance for Ireland to substantiate the claims of the advantages of neutralism with more decisive diplomatic action. It’s high time to ask whether Irish neutrality is not really neutrality at all, but actually Irish exceptionalism.'
Read the whole article here.