http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/07/31/british-army-ends-operation-in-northern-ireland/
Mostly symbolic or not, this is a hugely vital step.
No matter which side you support, a study of The Troubles should be something every modern American undertakes. Doing so would yield insights into:
- The categorization of prisoners as criminals, political prisoners, or say "enemy combatants" -- exactly why this can matter.
- The extent to which imprisioned men will go to maintain/acquire the respect/dignity they believe they are due.
- The damage done to justice by less than standard evidentiary requirements and the suspension of the right to trial by jury -- the Diplock Courts in Northern Ireland are an abomination of justice. When hearsay is evidence bad stuff follows.
- Exactly how much the concept of martyrdom can incite/motivate/maintain a community that feels repressed or threatened.
- How truly damn important human intel is and how it, not ubiquitous survellience cameras, is what leads to long term results.
- And there are just a zillion examples of how to fight and how not to fight a battle against an insurgency.
I know nothing about the French in Algeria, but what I gather is that it is another piece of history worth re-visiting in these troubled times.
Recommended reading for those interseted in The Troubles:
There's another text that has many of the messages that were smuggled out of Maze Prison (the "H-Blocks") but I can't remember its name. If I can come up with it, I'll post it.
2007-08-08 Update: Dad weighs in with:
"It was Ten Men Dead, or at least that's the first place (I don't know of any subsequent source.)While your message is quite accurate about some of the lessons to be learned from the 'troubles', there may be an even more important one in how the issues were ultimately resolved. Gerry Adams and Martin McGinnis are examples of real statesmen/negotiators and beginning to be recognized for what they accomplished, at least in the larger world outside the US. We heard McGinnis speak last Sunday at XU (Xavier University) and I got to talk with him afterwards, truly amazing."
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