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Originally posted by: Darth Chaltab
If the IRA murder people then they should be brought to justice. But why can't Ireland do that themselves? The US doesnt' need to invade Ireland to stop the IRA. That's overkill. And "international" terrorism is attacking civilian targets in foreign countries. It has nothing to do with where you get the guns.
Edit: Look. I admit ignorance. I don't know enough about the IRA to argue any points made about them.
Hey no worries matey! Thanks for taking the time to write such a lengthy & very mature response!
I can offer a few reasons (from my own limited understanding of the Irish situation, which has over the last few years ALMOST resolved itself)
The problem with the violence in Ireland comes from the countries split. The IRA are loyal to Eire (or Southern Ireland, if you like), they target mainland England and Northern Ireland, which is an English colony, if you want to put it in laymans terms, because they refuse to accept English rule. Unfortunately the rift between north and south has been in existence for 100's of years. Religion is a major factor, Eire being Catholic and Northern Ireland being predominantly Protestant, although Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland has both a Protestant sector & a Catholic sector! Confusing eh?
Now the Irish (Eire) govt.won't stop the IRA because the very party, Sinn Feinn support the IRA, which stands for Irish Republican Army. It was long believed by the British govt. that the IRA had leaders in Sinn Fein.
Another factor is the invasion of Ireland by Oliver Cromwell, during the English Civil War, around 1650. The slaughter of the Irish people by Cromwell's army and subsequent occupation of the Northern territory has been considered by the majority of historians to be the cause for the resentment in Ireland and the subsequent terrorist attacks! There are more factors to consider but perhaps I should stop there with the history lesson before I bore everyone to death!!
The problem with a war on terror is; how do you know when the terrorists have been defeated? How do you win a war on terror? As long as there are Superpowers (for want of a better word) flexing their might and influence upon others, there will always be a cause to fight against! I'm not solely pointing the finger at the US here, Russia has had it's fair share of terrorists, as have the majority of the Arabic states! You could even take it down to the base level of corporate espionage...as long as one Company is seen as controlling a majority, theer will always be those that stand against it, oppose it and will fight to undermine it.
IMHO the war on terrorism WILL NEVER END, it can only lead to more misery. All I can see is the war on terrorism eventually leading to world war. You may think I'm over reacting but............
How long do you think that other countries of significant power will stand by and watch as lesser countries get bombed back into the stone age? It will only take one bombing campaign to the wrong country and events will spiral so quickly beyond anyone's control that we won't have time to consider what exactly has gone on before all hell breaks loose!
I'm not trying to contest that at times it hasn't been necessary to "remove" troubling individuals from their seats of power. Perhaps what troubles most people in the free Western world is the manner in which these recent reciprications have taken place?
Just as a point of interest....Bin Laden was trained by the C.I.A and funded by the US govt to combat the Russian occupation of Afghanistan!
Also, it is worthy of noting that during the rebuilding of Afghanistan more American troops were guarding construction sites for newly lain OIL PIPES than anywhere else. An event which also occured during the recent re-occupation of Iraq! It is factor's such as this that make people question the validity of the US's aims in the Middle East.
Perhaps lessons COULD be learned from the mistakes the British Empire made? A country's population that feels threatened and repressed WILL rebel against the occupiers, with their freedom gone, their pride and nobility stripped of them is it any wonder that they will rise against any occupying force? This can clearly be seen today with the people of Iraq.....I find it amazing that after the mass bombing of their cities and people that the US troops assumed they would be welcomed with open arms for ridding them of a tyrant! The replacement of one tyrannical leader with another (in the eyes of the middle eastern world, not my opnions) will only further add to the grief, misery and resentment already present within such a troubled region of the World. I do not presume to know what the answer to the Middle Eastern crisis is...but perhaps the relaxing of the Iron Glove of America would be a step in the right direction?
OMG! You can so tell I've written these sections independant of each other & now have had trouble making them flow but what the hell...i dont care Im just one dumb Brit who's opnions dont really count for shit in the grand scheme of things!