Ireland, France and the Question of Algeria at the United Nations, 1955-62
Résumé
The Algerian war, which was debated at the United Nations between 1955 and 1962, tended to generate opposition between France and Ireland. The former wished to avoid the international opprobrium attached to a resolution condemning its policy in Algeria, while the latter supported the cause of national self-determination. In practice, however, their opposition was not always clear cut: France's refusal to recognise the competence of the UN in relation to Algeria was mitigated by its awareness that international opinion could not be disregarded, as its intensive lobbying testifies. As to Ireland, it sought to maintain good relations with its traditional French ally and to avoid a radicalisation of the United Nations. This entailed steering a middle course between competing objectives as well as between divergent opinions among Irish decision-makers. On the whole, Ireland managed to facilitate Algerian independence through its UN policy without compromising its relations with France.