The past decade has seen the increasing militarisation of our foreign policy with a growing arms trade and the ongoing use of Shannon airport for US military operations, a report to be published today will say.
The human rights group Afri says foreign and defence policies adopted since 1997 constitute a "decade of betrayal" and point to a lack of commitment to promoting the causes of peace and disarmament overseas.
Ireland's arms trade includes exports of military grade goods now estimated to be worth €400 million and dual-use products estimated to be worth up to €4 billion.
Legislation promised by the Government last year to tighten controls on arms exports from the State never materialised, the report notes. Ireland's arms trade is estimated to be about a quarter of the size of the UK's and one-third the size of Germany's.
Afri says the regular use of Shannon for US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan starkly illustrates the militarisation of the State's foreign policy.
In addition, the Government's "tardiness" in responding to credible allegations that Shannon has been used as part of the extraordinary rendition of suspects by the US is of serious concern, it states.
