It is interesting the rush of the Irish political elite class to join NATO and jettison our neutrality. If Ireland is to spend 2% of GDP on anything it should be on civil defense (nuclear/biological civil shelters). Why would we want to join and pay for NATO, a US tool of hegemony? Why is that a bad thing? Well, in the increased and dangerous prevailing tensions with Russia, it may be prudent to recall that if the USA engages in a nuclear first strike or retaliatory strike, and under the US nuclear doctrine, the USA wants to ensure that only the USA is left standing. That is they will strike Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and all allies at the same time. This doctrine exists under SIOP 62 Plan declassified in 2004
“A full nuclear SIOP strike launched on a preemptive basis would have delivered over 3200 nuclear weapons to 1060 targets in the Soviet Union, China, AND ALLIED COUNTRIES in Asia and Europe;” https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB130/press.htm . This is the same principle that was contained in the released Rand Corporation report detailing the taking down of Germany economically and by doing so the rest of the EU, (think Nordstream Pipeline destruction) as the USA economy and dollar hegemony declined, the world begins de-dollarisation of the world economy and currency exchange mechanisms under BRICS development.