The constitution is not the place to codify a policy which is, at best, ambiguous, and at worst, merely a determination not to be dragged into the British sphere of influence.

While there is no doubt that Ireland is part of the Anglo -sphere and now part of the EU, membership of NATO has never been seriously considered, and even attempts by the EU to develop a common defence capability are controversial. Ireland has survived very well being a small island on the north west fringe of Europe and of not too much strategic interest for anybody. No one believes we could defend ourselves against Russia anyway and opposition to British dominance has led us to be wary of relying on military means to resist occupation.

Our best defence is probably "Why would anyone bother to invade Ireland?" when Hitler didn't and the US has use of our airports in any case. We are also wary of the militaristic culture prevalent in the UK and much prefer to focus on non-violent means of conflict resolution (the IRA always excepted).

We thus have a good track record of participating in UN peace keeping missions and third world development aid generally.  But yes we have run down our defence capabilities atrociously and the Ukraine war is a wake up call in that regard.

Many have accused us of free-loading on the US and UK military and nuclear umbrellas, but frankly we see these as mixed blessings as likely to put us in the firing line as save us from foreign aggression.

We are of course blessed by being a relatively remote location and not central to the imperial rivalries, tensions and wars which have wracked Europe since forever. If we were Finland we would have to think seriously about NATO membership. But we aren't, and so we don't.

Index of Frank's Diaries

Geographically Britain is an island, but economically and politically it is a vital link in the global network. That openness brings great opportunities, but also vulnerabilities. We know that terrorist groups like Al Qaeda are determined to exploit our openness to attack us, and plot to kill as many of our citizens as possible or to inflict a crushing blow to our economy. It is the most pressing threat we face today.

All of this calls for a radical transformation in the way we think about national security and organise ourselves to protect it. We are entering an age of uncertainty. This Strategy is about gearing Britain up for this new age of uncertainty - weighing up the threats we face, and preparing to deal with them. But a strategy is of little value without the tools to implement it, so alongside this National Security Strategy we will tomorrow publish a Strategic Defence and Security Review. This will describe how we will equip our Armed Forces, our police and intelligence agencies to tackle current and future threats as effectively as they dealt with those of the past.

The War on Terror has made the world less safe and caused tens of thousands of additional deaths.

'Sapere aude'

IMO Russia is the sad old drunk in the pub picking fights with the younger toughs because he used to be a contender and wants to persuade himself he still has it.

It's delusional machismo, not 5D chess.

I don't think many Westerners understand Russia's culture. It's a bizarre combination of corrupt criminality and aggressive imperialism.

The US does corruption covertly by hiding it behind government contracts that channel money to CEOs and shareholders who in turn use some of it to fund politicians, who approve contracts...

Russia's corruption is autocratic, personal, and a model of rigid hierarchical patronage. Which makes it a complete mess, because money is diverted away from useful strategic goals. And individuals who can think collectively and strategically are purged and replaced by grifters and crooks.

So Russia does well at expanding its empire through covert ops, subversions, and financial influencing. Usefully this matches its view of itself as a strong, tough empire that is destined to save Europe from its own inferior and contemptible decadence.

But it's pretty mediocre at straightforward up-front conflict, and its leaders literally can't deal with strong organised opposition as a response to intimidation. Or even just with having their bluff called.

Now the Russian economy is going to collapse to a state worse than it has been for many decades, they are going to lose any chance of re-integrating Eastern Europe into a new USSR, and they will probably manage to trigger a nuclear war. Hopefully only a limited tactical one that will confine the mushroom clouds and fallout to the immediate area, but very good chance now of step-by-step escalation to WW3.

Brilliant thinking.

Hopefully the general staff will squelch Putin. Probably not though for the same reasons as always.