Funferal

Terrorism and war

I’ve just been reading a speech by Pat Rabbitte, leader of the Irish Labour Party, to the Dáil, about the peace process. For those who have forgotten he includes a synopsis of how things used to be:

Just a decade ago, 1993, 90 people died in politically motivated violence arising from the Northern conflict. In January a 20 year old student called, Julie Stratham took her own life, just weeks after her boyfriend, Diarmuid Shields and his father, Patrick were murdered by the UVF. And it did not get any better as the year went on. In March 3 year old Jonathan Ball and 12 year old Tim Parry were murdered in an IRA bomb attack in Warrington in England. In October, 10 people died in an IRA bomb attack on a fish shop on the Shankill Road. The Loyalist response was almost as brutal, with the ‘trick or treat’ gun attack on the Rising Sun pub in Greysteel. Republicans were responsible for the deaths of 39 people, Loyalists for 48. During 1993 the Security Forces killed no one.

Now, just because someone brought Of Paradise and Power to my attention yesterday, lets compare the above paragraph with a piece from Kagan:

When Europeans think of terrorism they think of car bombs and supermarkets blowing up. They don’t have the experience, and they actually don’t imagine the possibility of cataclysmic terrorism. Therefore, it is possible for Americans to imagine weapons of mass destruction being used by international terrorists against the US. – from an interview in the Sunday Herald

So Kagan blames the European experience for their silly desire to want to avoid violent conflict where possible. It’s funny – every time I read something from Kagan, I nod along to his evidence, and then look in shock at his conclusions.