Can the IRA be compared to Al Qaida or Hezbollah.?

Question

As a former US Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and underwent intensive Counter terrorist and counter guerilla warfare training, I think it is fair to say that the IRA is not the same kind of terrorist organization that Hezbollah or Al Qaida are. Of the almost 2,000 people the IRA killed in the past 30 years, 70% were soldiers, police or Loyalist Terrorists. 30% were civillians.

90% of Al Qaida's killings have been innocent civillians, Hezbollah
Has killed about 60% civillians and 40% Military. Also, The IRA has always been willing to recognize Britian and negotiate with the British government, Niether Al Qaida or Hezbollah are interested in any negotiations with anyone. Al Qaida and Hezbollah want nothingless then the destruction of America and Israel, the IRA has never called for Britian to be destroyed. Hezbollah and the IRA are only equal when it comes to skill and warfighting, other then that the IRA is less a terrorist group then the other two. What do you think.

Answer 1

A lot of what you said makes sense, but remember that culture has much to do with determining these tactics. To an Islamic fundamentalist, anyone who does not agree with them is the enemy, and they choose their targets accordingly. They have no interest in negotiating for peace or any form of compromise because that is not how a Jihad works. I liken this form of extremist view to the KKK in our culture. The IRA has reasonable goals, and like you said, they are willing to negotiate, the KKK desires the complete removal of their enemies from their country and possibly from existence.

So while the IRA may accurately be called terrorists, they are not as extreme and have a chance to achieve their goals through compromise (much like the colonials who fought the Revolutionary War 230 years ago). Remember, one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter, including Al Qaida and Hezbollah.

Answer 2

The main connection between the IRA and Al Qaeda is that both were supported by the USA.
The IRA between 1970 and 2001 got the major part of its support from the Irish/American voter in New York and Boston with major fundraising events such as the St.Patricks Day March in New York bringing in thousands of dollars.
The weapon of choice for the IRA was the american Armalite rifle.
Any IRA terrorist on the run knew that the USA would be a safe haven as extradition was virtually impossible.
All of these facts were known to various american governments, the FBI and the CIA yet they failed to act to stamp out this support until some arab gentlemen flew two airplanes into the World Trade Centre and suddenly the people of New York and the rest of america realised that terrorism may not be such a good idea after all.
Al Qaeda (the Base) was a training camp set up by Osama bin Laden in Peshawar during the 1980s when the Afghans were fighting the Russians. The CIA participated in training the Taleban or the Mujahadin as they were called in those days and Reagan approved the gift of 1,000 SAM missiles to shoot down russian aircraft( about 500 hundred of these are still unaccounted for by the way and could still be used).
Bin Laden recruited a lot of arab fighters to this war but after the russians withdrew the arabs were abandoned to their own devices which leaves us in the situation we have now where a lot of well trained guerillas are looking for someone to fight.

Answer 3

In a way their both terrorist groups so maybe yes.
Although the IRA has stopped its actions, it announced one or a couple of years ago that it would stop all terrorist actions as it could see more progession and peace through democracy. Thats a great achievement in Britain.
But then are Al Qaida or Hezbollah likely to do that. Well Al Qaida is very violent and I can't see them stopping to do with democracy, they're annoyed about a lot of things in a very complicated way. They have lots of demands. The only way we have a chance of getting ride of them is to, get rid of some of their leaders, then they will get confused and just split up. Although that could just make way for another group.
Hezbollah could possible do that. It's involved in politics in Lebanon which is comparable with how Sinn Fein was for the work of the IRA. Hezbollah has a place in Middle East politics which will be issentual if there is ever peace in the middle east.

Answer 4

Ask the MaCartney family whose brother was muredered by the IRA outside a pub and see what they say. Don't foget that they killed a mother of 7 back in the 60's for giving the last rights to a British soldier who was dying on the street outside her house. Ive lived in Belfast for 10 years and although the IRA were a terrorist/paramilitary organisation, depending on your view, they are now nothing more the a bunch of drug running thieves (or shouldnt i mention the 25 million pounds they stole from the Northen Bank City Centre Branch a few years ago and the IRA know all the drug smuggling routes in Europe). And yes the prods are just as bad

Answer 5

Keep in mind that Hezbollah does not want the destruction of the United States. That is a misconception about Muslims following the traditional tenets of their faith. They by no means like us, but they do not want us destroyed. And second of all, you should look up the history behind the Arab-Israeli conflict before you make the destruction of Israel sound like a bad thing and make another sob-story for the Jews. The Arabs have as much basis and claim there as the Jews, if not more.

To answer your question, no, the Irish Republican Army is a paramilitary organization, and al-Qaida is not. Al-Qaida is a militant terrorist organization and therefore they target civilians. Modern-day Hezbollah no longer agrees with the use of terrorism to reclaim Palestine for Arabs and Muslims. Modern-day Hezbollah and the IRA are similar, al-Qaida is different from both.

Answer 6

The IRA did have an achievable political goal. They also mostly attacked military and economic targets. There are not many similarities in the way the IRA and hezbollah et al conduct operations. However here has long been a solidarity between palestinian groups and the provisional IRA. They do identify with eachother's struggle but little else.

Answer 7

The IRA is, or has become, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Foreign Office and has been used primarily to (1) train British troops to control civilian masses and (2) introduce legislation designed to turn the UK (& Ireland (who copies everything the UK does)) increasingly closer to a totalitarian state.
Blair & his puppeteer/s could never have got away with such outrageous right-wing/totalitarian policies without the IRA.
The IRA has done a great dis-service to the people of both the UK and Eire but is an example of the edict that generally everything achieves the opposite to what it is conceived to do

Answer 8

Yes,I agree that you can't compare IRA with Al qaida,but you can't compare either Hezbollah with Al qaida...
Remember how both IRA and Hezbollah were created,one as a response to the British occupation of Northern Ireland,one as a response to the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon...Hezbollah,until this year didn't had civilian targets and they targeted civilians as a response to Israel targeting Lebanese civilians...IRA had also a lot of civilian targets,beside the military ones...And Hezbollah is willing to negotiate with Israel, it's Israel who doesn't accept this...
So I think it's fair to say that you can not compare IRA and Hezbollah to Al qaida...

Answer 9

So....what you are saying is that beacuse Al Qaida and Hezbollah kill higher percentages of civilians and are calling for the desrtuction of the U.S. this makes them better terrorists then the IRA!!??

If you are really are an ex-marine who underwent counter terrorist training then you either did not pay attention in class or you are a complete and utter idiot.

Answer 10

One thing that they probably have in common is that fact that at one point or another these terrorists were infiltrated, funded and working on behalf of their respective governments. The British government had parts in Dublin and Monaghan bombing....

Anyway, the sad fact is that it is always emotive and very subjective topic. The IRA were fighting terrorists on the other side while terrorizing the British government.

Also, they always maintained that in some twisted way they were standing up for the rights of the Catholics who were not being treated fairly by the British or the RUC which is true and accepted.

That's my contribution... I'm very much on the fence... a terrible mess either way

Answer 11

As someone who grewq up in N I it pains me to say that I couldn't even think of the IRA as terrorists now. I really don't know where to put them at all.

There were terrible times I remember growing up where 'legitimate targets' extended well beyond military and intelligence targets.

Builders, postmen, lorry drivers; were all seen as viable. That is wrong and similar to the ethos of neo terrorists,; where everyone that isn't for us is against us.

On the other hand recognition of Britian and a clear goal of a free Ireland seperates them from the seemingly mindlessness of AL Qaida.
This could be said to a lesser extent for Hezbollah.
But the situation was different as there aren't many Israelies living in the West Bank and the Strip among the Palastinians.

Personally, I think the Israelie gov and army have an easier job than the UK did for all those years, and yet they seem to get it so wrong at times.