Is Ireland 'an unreliable security partner' to the UK?

As part of their Maritime, Defence and Security Operations (MDSO), the Irish Air Corps Maritime Patrol Aircraft have observed Russian commercial vessels in international waters off the island of Ireland. Photograph: Irish Defence Forces (105 Sqn, Irish Air Corps) The long-standing strategic aspect of British policy towards Ireland is resurrected in a paper from the right-wing think tank Policy Exchange in London this week. Entitled Closing the Back Door, it calls for Northern Ireland's role in British military security to be revived in the face of threats from Russia, China and Iran. It says the influential assurance given by the…