You can’t make a deal with the dead
You cannot negotiate with dead men. MI6 and, eventually, the British government recognised that a political struggle requires a political solution. However brutal the IRA’s day-to-day terrorism, a strong, coherent republican leadership was in the strategic interest of the British state.
That fundamental insight still appears to be lacking in the Middle East conflict. If a peace process is serious, each side must accept the other as they find it rather than remould their enemies into a more compliant state by assassination and political diktat.
Books Received II
Books Received II Author: Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on: 09/20/2004 Recent Books Received Two on Terrorism..By and Against the State Yevgeny Primakov, A World Challenged: Fighting Terrorism in the Twent-First Century, Brookings Institution Press, 204, pp. 150 The author was Russian prime minsiter 1998-9, and like Putin, was heavily involved in […]
London Bombings: Finding the Way to Peace
London Bombings: Finding the Way to Peace Author: Simon Stander Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on 07/18/2005 Londoners are being bombed again. It has happened before but no one really gets used to it. Commuters who have been interviewed largely express the view that they are fearful of more bombings, yet they have […]
The Misnomer Continues
The Misnomer Continues Author: Peter Krupa Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on 08/18/2005 It could have been a step in the right direction, but it turned out to be just an accidental head-fake. In late July, Rumsfeld and other Bush administration officials ditched the “Global War on Terror” in favor of the more […]
Terrorist Splinters
The Death of Somoza by Claribel Alegria and Darwin Flakol though published some time ago, 1996, is well worth a read not only because of its intrinsic interest, but also because of the lessons that can be taken from it in understanding the nature of international terror, and particularly interesting as providing an insight into what happens when freebooters find scope for bloody initiatives.
Above Enrique Haroldo Gorriaran Merlo, international terrorist and assassin, is flanked by his captors.
The “Enemy Combatant” Fraud
The “Enemy Combatant” Fraud Author: Scott Horton Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on: 07/05/2007 Category: Analysis II A key aspect of the legal architecture of the “war on terror” crafted by the Bush Administration involves labeling all persons seized and held as “terrorist detainees” (look at the telling language used in the letter […]
Bin Laden the Bogey Man
Bin Laden the Bogey Man Author: Simon Stander Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on: 03/01/2006 Category: Editorial Hitler, Goebbels, Himmler and Goering all saw themselves off and saved much embarrassment to the allies in court room dramas. Saddam Hussein however is not going quietly. His antics in court are likely to go on […]
Indonesia’s Move against Terrorism
Indonesia’s Move against Terrorism Author: Dr. Pankaj Kumar Jha Originally Published at Peace and Conflict Monitor on: 02/15/2006 Category: Special Report Jemaah Islamiyah (or Al Jamaa’ah Al Islamiyah – Islamic Group) is a radical Islamic network active in Australia and southeast Asia. An Al-Qaida linked group that has been blamed for a series of bloody […]
The Challenges of Terrorism
Benjamin Hess conducted an interview with Dr. Edward Moxon-Browne about several issues related to terrorism. Dr. Moxon-Browne is the Director of the Centre for European Studies at the University of Limerick in Ireland. He has also taught at the Queens University of Belfast, Northern Ireland. His research interests include the Basque conflict in Spain and sectarian violence in Northern Ireland. He recently taught “The Nature of International Terrorism” in the International Peace Studies program at the University for Peace.
Rehabilitation and Deradicalization: Saudi Arabia’s Counterterrorism Successes and Failures
Journalist Rob L. Wagner examines Saudi Arabia’s “soft” rehabilitation program to return Islamic extremists to the “true Islam.” Although the program in its seven-year history has suffered setbacks, its 10 percent recidivism rate points to potential long-term success. The program mixes religion and tough love to return reformed militants to Saudi society in a culture that guards its privacy and values its dignity. With more than 3,000 men successfully passing through the program, Al-Qaeda sees the Saudi government’s efforts as a threat to the group’s recruiting efforts to win the hearts and minds of young Saudis.