The Irish Republican Army - Clinton Van Nocker

Clinton Charles Van Nocker
CJ-838-730 Terrorism

THE IRISH REPUBLICAN ARMY
FINAL CASE STUDY
Prepared for Issues in Terrorism, Summer, 2010
Clinton Charles Van Nocker

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY


Abstract

Since its emergence in 1919, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was the most well known terrorist group of the 20th century. By using bombings, kidnapping for ransom, and sophisticated intelligence tactics, they were able to commit terrorist acts against the United Kingdom. This paper serves to outline the background, origin, terrorist tactics, and eventual dissolution of the IRA. It will argue that furthering the education of individual terrorist groups and the general public will cause each group to focus on one another’s similarities rather than their differences. By following these steps, terrorism can be greatly diminished in the world today.

Introduction
The Irish Republican Army is one of the oldest terrorist groups in modern history, developing as early as 1917 (Rapaport 2003). Interestingly, since 1998 a ceasefire between the IRA and Great Britain remains in effect and appears to be stable and functioning. The IRA began as small group of individuals and evolved into a complex organization that operated until the late-1990s. By studying the history of the IRA, we can learn how it is possible to demonstrate how a terrorist organization can change from a group which extracts violence and terror, to a group with political standing without the need to commit heinous acts to advance their agenda. Causing terrorist groups to recognize similarities between groups with different beliefs rather than their differences will serve to greatly diminish terrorism in the world today.

Background, Origin and Affiliations
England and Ireland have had a long history of conflict dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries (McKinley 1985). Two main factors have contributed to the differences between the countries. First of all, the Irish sought to be a unilaterally independent country free of British rule. Secondly, the monarchy of England and the majority of its subjects practice the Protestant faith, while the majority of Irish people primarily follow Catholicism (Patterson 2010). This caused many problems between the countries because the Irish feared they would lose their identity as a country, and their ability to worship freely.
While the leadership of Ireland has had many leaders, Michael Collins, who was born in 1890, formed the Irish Republican Army in 1919 (Patterson 2010). Unsatisfied with Great Britain’s tight-fisted rule over Ireland, Collins began fighting against the English Army using guerilla warfare tactics. These campaigns also included acts of assassination, bombings, and arms smuggling (Patterson 2010).
Collins used his influence with the British Government to enter into a peace treaty with England in 1921. That same year, while returning home from peace treaty discussions in a motorcade, Collins’ group was ambushed. He was the sole casualty and lost his life to an unnamed assailant (Patterson 2010). In his article, Irish Mist: Eight Clouded Views of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, McKinley opined that Collins’ death was a direct result of the peace treaty. Many of the Irish were upset with the compromise Collins negotiated. Those who were against the treaty argued he did not achieve adequate future representation with Great Britain in Parliament that many members of IRA thought they deserved. However, the compromise was largely negotiated by Collins because of a lack of financial support from the Irish citizens of the United States of America and other countries. Collins depended largely on financial contributions from Irish Americans because of the lack of funds from Irish citizens. McKinley believes Collins had come to realize that support from other countries such as the United States of America was not going to be the assistance Collins and the IRA once believed. Collins also believed the IRA could not sustain a lengthy fight with the British due to the Army’s overwhelming size and resources (McKinley 1985).
From meager beginnings, the IRA rose to over 15,000 members in the late 1980s and early 90s. It is now believed to be disbanded with no acts of terror related directly to them since the peace treaty negotiated by Sinn Fein named, “Good Friday”, was signed in 1998 (Patterson 2010).
Sinn Fein is the oldest political party in Ireland. The group’s name, Sinn Fein, is an Irish expression which translated from Gaelic means “we ourselves”. This group was formed in the hope of establishing Ireland as a sovereign independent country which continues to seek an end of British rule in Ireland. Their stated desire is to transform Ireland into an independent, peaceful nation that advances the education of its youth, assures the well being of its aged, and provides liberation to its women and protection of their children. While Sinn Fein rarely comments on the IRA and its operations, they do say they are committed to peace without violence. Many, however, believe the IRA is the clandestine military wing of Sinn Fein (Dutter 1998).

History and Ideology
The first organized police force was implemented in Great Britain in 1829. With over 80 years of improving their policing practices, intelligence gathering became part of the duties of the police in the United Kingdom and allowed them to establish a “Secret Service” to monitor activities of the IRA and create methods to counteract their terrorist activities (Clutterbuck 2010).
The IRA was one of the first terrorist groups of the modern era to use guerrilla warfare tactics against their enemy. In Clutterbuck’s article, Countering Irish Republican Terrorism in Britain: Its Origin as a Police Function, she attributes forming England’s Secret Service to combat a series of bombing attacks and guerrilla warfare tactics that were attributable to the IRA (Clutterbuck 2010).
Over the years the IRA became successful in obtaining large amounts of military intelligence. This information was gathered through the involvement of the IRA’s soldiers and non-soldiers alike. For example, by establishing a “Grass Roots” base of ordinary Irish citizens, the IRA was able to track the daily activities of leaders of the English Army and police force in order to carry out assassinations (Ilardi 2010).
Although the IRA was often characterized as inept and unorganized, this is not the case. McKinley points out that although there are instances where IRA soldiers were killed in accidents, or friendly fire, the IRA was more than competent in carrying out its terrorist attacks. He cites the murdering of Lord Mountbatten, the Queen of England’s cousin, and on two occasions it breached the security around the Queen herself with planted bombs later discovered and disarmed. Furthermore, Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of Great Britain, was found to have internal security breaches by members of the IRA that could have cost the country her life (McKinley 1985).

Modern Terrorism and the IRA
In his article, The Four Waves of Modern Terrorism, Rapaport defines the transgression of modern terrorism in four parts. The first wave is defined as “Anarchist” which occurred from the 1880s to the 1920s. This wave is aptly demonstrated by the emergence of Russian anarchists who were able to form groups to fight against the established governments by traveling via railways and communicating through the use of newspapers and the teletype.
The second wave, the “Anticolonial Wave” operated from the 1920s to the 1960s. The best example the author gives is the Versailles Peace Treaty concluding with World War I. This treaty allowed the victors to believe they could apply the principle of national self-determination to break up the empires of the defeated states that were primarily in Europe.
The IRA was a group that sought to gain its independence during the 1920s and had limited success. Terrorist tactics changed from a focus on assassinations to the elimination of the police. Hit and run guerilla-like measures were taken against local police establishments to overthrow police agencies. England responded by replacing the police with military units.
From 1960s to 1979 the author identifies a “New Left Wave”. This third wave was brought about by the Vietnam War. The Viet Cong’s primitive weapons against the American’s modern technology rekindled radical hopes that the contemporary and powerful systems were vulnerable. Many terrorist groups were formed at this time, such as the Western German Red Army Faction, the Italian Red Brigades, and in the east, the Japanese Red Army. Again, terrorist’s techniques changed. Kidnappings were more frequently used by these groups for advancement of their cause. Also at this time, the abandoned practice from the Anarchist’s methods of assassination was revived. For example, in 1970, the IRA murdered Lord Montbatten.
The final wave is defined as the “Religious Wave”. This can be most aptly demonstrated by the terrorist groups formed in light of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. The author forecasts that this Religious wave could disappear by 2025 and a new wave could take its place if the pattern of the three previous waves continues.
Although most groups exist throughout one wave, Rapaport writes that occasionally an organization can survive its original wave and hold on to essentially the same values by which it was formed and endure through the next eras. The IRA, for example, is the oldest modern terrorist organization with roots that begin in 1916. It has gone through each wave with little change in the goals for change it originally set forth (Rapport 2003). Throughout its existence, the IRA’s tactics may have changed, but its ideology and goals for change remained the same.

Military Tactics and Intelligence
The IRA’s most useful weapon in committing terrorists’ acts was the intelligence that lead up to the attack. The IRA had the advantage over most terrorist groups because their members could blend into society without being identified by their race or color of their skin. By using this advantage, they were able to follow their targets virtually undetected. The IRA did not find it difficult to follow British soldiers and police officers to their homes and places of work. Oftentimes, the IRA would follow a target for a period of weeks in order to establish a pattern of behavior. The IRA would learn if a target would visit a bakery or store on a daily basis. Simple consistent stops would create an opportunity for an attack (Ilardi 2010).
Besides individual attacks, the IRA used bombings, assassinations and kidnappings as tactics to further their cause. Because the Irish are considered British Citizens they are able to hold jobs, live and blend into large cities like London, Birmingham or Liverpool, all of which have been subject to the IRA’s attacks. This served as a great advantage for the IRA to further its cause (Ilardi 2010).


Funding of the IRA
Certainly, terrorist groups need financing in order to survive. Many groups rely on ransom for kidnapping, extortion, and donations from its supporters. Most recently, the internet acts as the most lucrative manner of raising donations to the terrorists cause. Because internet sites can be quickly established and just as quickly shut down, the fountain of donations from people and groups who sympathize with the terrorist objectives has proven itself invaluable (Zanini & Edwards 2003).
The IRA has steadfastly stated they had no involvement with drugs; however, there are many who believe the IRA resorted to the drug trade to raise money for their cause. There remains no clear link between the IRA and drugs. The one clear example where the IRA was accused of selling marijuana to further its cause and was later refuted. A man was arrested outside of Dublin and the police associated him with the IRA when he was found delivering a large truck load of cannabis. After he was arrested, he was severely beaten by republican prisoners for his acts while in custody (McKinley 1985).
Further funding was achieved by the Libyan Government. The IRA claimed to have received approximately five million dollars from Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, the leader of Libya since 1969. Gaddafi has confirmed this claim (McKinley 1985).
The Palestine Liberation Army (PLO) at one time pledged support to the IRA. There have also been suggested links to the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA), which is a terrorist group in the Basque region of Spain (Zanini and Edwards 2003).
Further, the IRA has received monies from kidnapping for ransom, which has been a very lucrative method for raising money by terrorists world-wide. From 1968 to 1982 there were 409 international kidnapping incidents, yielding 951 hostages. This practice “earned” 350 million dollars by all terrorist groups combined (Rapaport 2003). As heinous as these crimes are, it is not difficult to see why these tactics are utilized.
Much of the money to support the IRA comes from Irish and Irish Americans in the United States. Many have donated money by embracing the idea that it supports the Catholic Religion (McKinley 1985).
Because the IRA has essentially been inactive since the late 90s, technology did not play a major role as a force multiplier to advance their cause. Today websites exist that attempt to raise money for splinter groups such as the New Irish Republican Army (Zanini & Edwards 2003).

Media as a Force Multiplier for the IRA
The media has always played a significant role in the advancement of the IRA. One of the greatest examples of the IRA utilizing the media to advance its cause was the hunger strike of Robert Gerard Sands, commonly known as Bobby Sands. Sands was arrested for weapons charges in 1972. This arrest was directly related to his involvement with the IRA. Although he was released in 1976, he was arrested again within six months following a bomb attack on a furniture factory in Dunmurry. This was followed by a gun battle in which two men were wounded (Dutter 1988).
To protest against the British Government and its prison system, Sands went on a hunger strike while serving time in prison after his second conviction. International media coverage brought a great deal of attention to his actions, and the IRA found a new surge of recruitment and worldwide praise and criticism. Sands died as a result of his strike in 1981. From that point on, Sands was regarded as a martyr to the IRA and his death brought continued attention to the IRA movement worldwide (White 2008). Following Sands’ death, the international media covered the bombings in Belfast in 1988 and several other skirmishes from the late 1980s and early 1990s.
While at times the media can be criticized for furthering the cause of a terrorist group by focusing on attacks and bringing more attention to its actions, the opposite occurred with the IRA. After the media’s focus on IRA attacks, the media turned its attention to peace talks between the United Kingdom and the IRA. The media was instrumental in the final cease fire and arms disbandment in 1994 (Neumann 2005).

The Dissolution of the IRA
The IRA is unique because the ceasefire and dissolution of the group has remained intact since the mid 1990s. This disarmament and disbanding was brought about by many factors. The most important aspect of the conclusion was the removal of the IRA’s fear of change. The IRA has had the continual apprehension that continued British Rule would affect their religion and way of life. Members of the IRA wanted to govern themselves and felt they had no voice with the political system in Great Britain. Religion was also very important to the IRA, and they wanted the Catholic Church to retain its foothold in Ireland.
As they became more active in politics, they soon found they were a lot less different from their British and Protestant neighbors than they once believed (White 2008). As the members of the IRA became more active in society, they found their message could reach more people through political ties. They found that in order to garner votes to be represented in Britain and their own country, they would have to seriously consider popular public opinion. While there may have been groups outside the IRA who supported their ideology, few of these supporters condoned terrorist acts (Neumann 2005). By bringing people together in a non-violent arena to express their views, the result can cause an individual to consider another’s way of life and viewpoint. By seeing someone as their neighbor, an individual can begin to focus on the similarities of their countrymen and women rather than focusing on the differences.

Conclusion
Worldwide terrorism could be greatly diminished by examining the rise and fall of the IRA. Islamic terrorism shares many of the same problems as the IRA.
The IRA was one of the oldest terrorist groups that existed during the 20th century. By continually garnering support from their countrymen, and later persons worldwide, they were able to survive changes in belief systems that normally resulted in the dissolution of most groups.
The IRA succeeded in carrying out their acts by using intelligence from their members to further their cause. Funding was supplied through both terrorist acts such as kidnapping for ransom and by donations from people and governments both in and outside of Ireland.
The IRA used media as their primary force multiplier to further their cause. The hunger strike of Bobby Sands was instrumental in presenting their message to a worldwide audience.
In the end, the IRA was disbanded and disarmed largely due to discovering their message could be furthered more effectively by peaceful means.
The fear of losing ties to their religion is a chief concern to Islamic terrorists. The extremists believe the differences between their religion and others create a chasm too wide to cross.
If groups who oppose each other would take the time to educate themselves about their enemies’ way of life they would begin to see the similarities in their beliefs rather than their differences. By taking these steps toward education, terrorism could be greatly diminished in the world today.


References

Clutterbuck, L. (2010). Countering Irish Republican Terrorism in Britain: Its Origin as a Police Function. Terrorism and Political Violence (18)1. 95-118.

Dutter, L. (1988). Changing Elite Perceptions of the Northern Irish Conflict, 1973-1983. Political Psychology, 9(1). 129-154.


Ilardi, G. J. (2010). IRA Operational Intelligence: The Heartbeat of the War. Small Wars & Insurgencies, 21(2), 331-358.

McKinley, M. (1985). Irish Mist: Eight Clouded Views of the Provisional Irish Republican Army. The Australian Quarterly, 57(3), 203-213.

Neumann, P. (2005). The Bullet and the Ballot Box: The Case of the IRA. The Journal of Strategic Studies (28)6. 941-975.

Patterson, H. (2010). Sectarianism Revisited: The Provisional IRA Campaign in a Border Region of Northern Ireland. Terrorism and Political Violence, 17(3), 337-356.

Rapoport, David C (2003). The Four Waves of Modern Terrorism. 46-72.

White, Robert. (2008). Structural Identity Theory and the Post-Recruitment Activism of Irish Republicans: Persistence, Disengagement, Splits, and Dissidents in Social Movement Organizations. Indiana University-Perdue University Indianapolis. 341-370.

Zanini, M., & Edwards, S.J.A. (2003). The Networking of terror in the information age. Networks and Netwars: The Future of Terror, Crime, and Militancy. 29-60.