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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: frankw1900 who wrote (48380)9/30/2002 11:01:43 PM
From: Ilaine  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 281500
 
Weird debating with Carl, isnt' it? He seems to be one of us, arguing about things that we all worry about, but under close scrutiny it isn't so.



To: frankw1900 who wrote (48380)9/30/2002 11:16:35 PM
From: Bilow  Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 281500
 
Hi frankw1900; Re: "A good case can be made the IRA started negotiating because their support was wasting away."

I agree 100%, but the fact is that the support for the IRA was wasting away because Britain changed the way the Catholics were treated in Northern Ireland in such a way as to alleviate the complaints of the IRA.

Re: "Actually, Palestine is a very good parallel to Northern Ireland."

Did Britain use helicopter gunships with rockets in order to kill suspected IRA bombers along with dozens of innocent apartment dwellers? Did Britain consider making it illegal for Catholics to own land in certain places in Northern Ireland? Did Britain have a law preventing Catholics from moving back to Northern Ireland? Did Britain institute curfews with such regularity that people were unable to work? Was Britain a nation of 6 million surrounded by 100 million Catholics? [Hint: "Southern" Ireland's population is less than 4 million, but Great Britain's is around 60 million.]

I could go on, but the fact is that the Palestinians have been much worse treated by the Israelis than anything that happened to the Catholics in Northern Ireland (in recent times). What's worse for Israel is the demographic differences, which are much more in favor of eventual Palestinian victory than it ever was for the Catholics in Northern Ireland.

-- Carl