What do the Americans think of the discovery that the IRA (Irish Republican Army) have been training FARC (those Colombian guerillas) for about 20 years?
Us in UK have always ben pissed off that many Americans did not understand how bad the IRA was. Has that changed?
I didn’t know about the IRA-FARC connection; it hasn’t got much publicity here to my knoweldge. It doesn’t surprise me, though.
Most Americans think of the IRA as being in the same vein as the old “Weathermen”, the Baader-Meinhofs, the Basque ETA, the Puerto Rican Macheteros, etc. One wonders if their fight is more about enjoying the fight than about their “causes”. Certianly, the IRA’s actions do not gather any sympathy from the overwhelming majority of Americans.
I don’t knowhow much US TV or movies you get over there, but the psychopathic IRA terrorist is a stock character. He (or it) is a caucasian guy with an interesting accent and a complete disregard for moral conduct or human life.
Seems more GD or IMHO.
But…
a) many Americans aren’t aware of this connection
b) many Americans, even if they are aware of who’s training Colombian guerillas, could quite frankly care less about what goes on in Latin America
c) many Americans supported/still support the IRA. There are more here who claim Irish descent than there are people in Ireland. Where do you think most of the IRA’s money came from? My sweet, senile, 88-year-old Irish-American aunt gave thousands and thousands of dollars to the IRA over the course of her life. Some people who gave cash did it knowing full well that it would buy arms to fight the British, while others deluded themselves into thinking it was merely going to aid women and children, etc., who were left poor, homeless, hungry, etc., by the violence (thanks to the Brits, of course).
I would say, no, many Americans have not changed their opinion of the IRA, though I think everyone is, frankly, relieved that they’ve eased up since 9/11, since it would have required a great many U.S. supporters of the IRA to reexamine their positions.
Then there are those of us who think the people in the IRA are a bunch of terrorists, pure and simple, and, quite frankly, don’t see what the fuss and push for independence/etc. is all about, as Ireland/Northern Ireland/Scotland/Wales/England are all the same to us here, and not qualitatively different than, say, New England/the Mid-Atlantic states/the South/the Midwest/the Southwest… so why can’t you all just get along? 
This is definitely on its way to GD, unless someone can come up with a survey conducted in the US that directly bears on the OP’s question. Otherwise, all we have is opinion.
Many Americans, including those that claim Irish descent (such as myself, by the way), have never believed in the methods used by the IRA. Yet we also don’t approve of the way some Irish people have been treated by the Unionists.
I hadn’t heard of the Central American connection, but knowing it now doesn’t change the way I feel about the IRA. I never liked them, and I still don’t. I guess you’d have to ask someone who used to support those people.
To modify toadspittle’s last point, I think many Americans, if they think about Ireland at all, think of it more like if the boroughs that make up New York City were to consider themselves separate from upstate New York (or even if say, the Bronx were to claim independance from Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island. [That’s all of them, right? I live on the other coast.]). The island is small enough (compared to many of our states, let alone our whole country) that we can’t really understand the extreme variation of opinion and sentiment within it.
Not true. September 11th had nothing to do with them “easing up”. Shows how much you know.
Yup. Shows precisely how much I know. Just about squat, 'cause many Americans don’t particularly care about the IRA–however much they and the Brits blow each other up, we know we won’t get sucked into some global conflict over it (unlike the similarly unresolvable situation in Israel).
But anyway–you’re right, so let me correct/clarify my statement:
I think everyone is, frankly, relieved that the IRA has apparently not been involved in any major terrorist acts (that we in the U.S. have heard about…say, like blowing up Harrod’s again) since 9/11–for whatever reason–as it would have required a great many U.S. supporters of the IRA to reexamine their positions.
Ok Griffin, you’re talking to someone who knows the situation now.
have you got a cite for the IRA training FARC rebels for 20 years?
don’t make a claim you can’t back up.
How about connections between Loyalist forces and the RUC? How about links between loyalist forces and Combat 18, and in turn links to Neo-Nazi groups throughout europe and the world?
how about American Forces training Colombian Terrorists?
no offence Toadspittle, but it means quite a lot to us over here.
Are you a member of the IRA or something? I’m not talking about the RUC, Combat 18 or any of that other shit. I’m talking about the IRA and FARC. And if you are not aware of the 3 IRA members who where arrested in Columbia a few months ago then you dont know much at all. And if you’re claiming there is no real evidence that they are in the IRA and where helping FARC then you are wrong.
If the Americans want to do something useful they could do a lot worse than blowing the heads off Jerry Adams and Martin McGuiness. That would be quality.
Hoo, yeah. Off to GD.
The arrests seem mighty convenient given the U.S. administration’s desire to link FARC and the drug cartels to international terrorism. So far the evidence, even at the congressional hearings, has been sketchy, so I’d like to see a little more before we go deciding to toss the IRA and FARC into the same “tent of evil” with the PLO.
Sketchy? 3 Irish arrested in Columbia with traces of explosives on them, and known members of the IRA? I think that’s quite strong evidence actually.
No. i’m a pacifist nationalist.
You are linking The IRA with FARC. I am showing you that there are similar links between the former Northern Irish Police force and terrorists, and loyalists with international networks of terrorists.
Yes, i am aware that there were three people arrested in Columbia under suspicion of training FARC rebels. Lets not pass sentence until after the trial.
I never said any such thing. please dont put words in my mouth.
And here we get to the root of it. This is nothing but ignorant sectarianism. If your solution to everything is “blowing the heads off” the people you dont agree with you, you have no place in this debate.
If you want to continue I will see you in the pit.
I can go with that. If all you’re going to do is bitch about the answers you get, why ask the question in the first place ?
The Griffin, when you can’t even spell the names of politicians you’re condemning, it really doesn’t become you to accuse other posters of ignorance.
Anyway, we’ve already got a perfectly good GD thread going about this subject. This one is Pit fodder.
I dont care how they spell their names. They’re not politicians they’re assholes who if I ever meet I will not hesitate in killing with my bare hands.
no you wouldn’t.
Yes, I would. Trust me. The old Taekwon-do should do the trick.
Thanks for making the point about the United States supporting the Colombian terrorists, TwistofFate. Links between the IRA and the FARC may exist but are weak. “FARC = IRA” is a more ridiculous assertion than “Colombian paramilitaries = US government”.
Well you know, tough guy, it’s not as though they’re in hiding or anything.
Hey, I’m not going looking for them. Just if I ever meet them. To be quite honest the whole N Ireland thing is full of hypocrites and dense bastards. It annoys me.