5. Cyprus 1964 and India-Pakistan 1965

How did the Irish peacekeeping policy work within the Irish political system during its first post-Congo test? Detailed information on the Government decision making process and debate within the Dáil is examined as Dublin mulled whether to deploy a peacekeeping contingent to Cyprus. The case study, the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), represents an operation where members of the Irish Government were split on whether to participate. The chapter examines the details of the internal discussions and questioning within the Government in order to formulate a response in favor of deployment in accordance with the peacekeeping policy applied in 1960. It also covers the transfer of individual Irish peacekeepers to the United Nations India-Pakistan Observation Mission (UNIPOM).