This chapter discusses ethnic and nationalist terrorism through case studies of Northern Ireland, the Basque region of Spain, and Sri Lanka. It outlines the historical roots and evolution of separatist groups like the IRA in Northern Ireland and ETA in Spain, as well as their eventual transition towards negotiated peace agreements. In Sri Lanka, the chapter describes the rise of the Tamil Tigers in response to perceived discrimination against Tamils and their decades-long terrorist campaign, which ultimately ended in a military defeat without a political resolution.

1. Chapter 6
Babette Protz
University of
South
Carolina
Lancaster
INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM:
NATIONAL AND ETHNIC
MOVEMENTS

2. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: CHAPTER 6
 Explain the nature and characteristics of
nationalistic and ethnic separatist terrorism.
 Describe the emergence of the modern IRA and
terrorism in Northern Ireland.
 Outline the basis for negotiating peace in Northern
Ireland.
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3. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: CHAPTER 6
 Summarize the nature of Basque culture and its
separateness from Spain.
 Explain the impact of the Spanish Civil War on the
Basque region.
 Summarize the birth and evolution of the ETA.
 Explain the rise of the GAL.
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4. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: CHAPTER 6
 Outline the Spanish government’s approach to
Basque separatism.
 Describe the rise of the LTTE and the role of the
Tamil Diaspora.
 Summarize the unique aspect of LTTE suicide
bombings.
 Describe the end of the LTTE and the danger of
possible reconstitution.
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5. ETHNIC AND NATIONALIST TERRORISM
 Ethnic terrorists are usually more nationalistic than
religious terrorists
 Ethnic terrorists try to forge national identity; they
appeal to the nationalistic background of a
particular ethnic group
 Peaceful negotiated settlements have proved to be
the most effective method for ending ethnic and
nationalistic terrorism
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6. ETHNIC AND NATIONALIST
 Ireland
SEPARATISM
 Incorporated terrorist techniques into their revolt against
British rule
 Basque region of Spain
 The Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) is Europe’s longest
surviving ethnic conflict
 Island of Sri Lanka
 Tensions between the Sinhalese and Tamils
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7. IRA AND THE MODERN “TROUBLES”
 The movement was aimed at achieving adequate
housing and education among Ulster’s Catholic
population in an attempt to improve economic
growth
 The IRA had not been dormant throughout the civil
rights movement, but it had failed to play a major
role
 Turmoil in Belfast and Londonderry halted by the British
army acting as peacekeepers
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8. IRA
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-T_8SvNRhk&feature=Discussion: It appears that IRA is now engaged in
criminal activities through black market operations.
 How does the information presented in the video align to
the IRA’s stated mission of an Independent Irish state?
 Do you believe there is a cover-up of the IRA criminal
activity? Support your view.
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9. THE ARMY AND OVERREACTION
 Early policies of the British army played an
important role in the rebirth of the IRA
 British army had little or no appreciation of the historical
circumstances behind the conflict
 The British army mistakenly allied itself with one of
the extremist positions
 The policies the British army had done much to set
hostile forces in motion
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10. UNIONIST TERRORISM
 Unionist organizations have a long history of
terrorism; they represent the Unionist and Loyalist
side of terrorism
 Historically, it has appeared in three forms
 Repression
 Vengeance
 Revolutionary violence for political change
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11. NEGOTIATING WITH TERRORISTS
 Belfast Agreement
 Independent human rights investigations, compensation
for the victims of violence, and decommissioning of
paramilitary groups
 Independent Monitoring Commission
 Police Service of Northern Ireland
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12. RATIONAL POLITICAL GOALS AND
NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENTS
 Terrorism in Northern Ireland no longer grabs
attention as it did in the past
 The major campaigns are over and the groups have
disbanded
 The situation remains volatile
 Unionist and Republican activists carried out 124 attacks
against each other in 2009
 Two British soldiers were killed
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13. BASQUE NATION BACKGROUND
 Basque separatists beliefs
 Develop a homeland in Spain
 Maintain a separate culture and language
 War of the Spanish Succession
 The new monarchy granted the Basque region
semiautonomy within the realm
 Although the Basques considered themselves “un-
Spanish,” Spanish power gradually enfolded the region
into the twentieth century
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14. THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR
 Francisco Franco forcibly campaigned against
Basque national identity
 Many Basques believed the Allies would assist their
bid for independence
 US courted Franco’s fascist government in return for
American air bases in Spain
 This resulted in a resurgence of Basque nationalism
during the 1950s
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15. THE BASQUE CONFLICT
 Basque separatists want a homeland completely
independent of Spain
 Basque region has its own language and culture,
though it has never been independent
 ETA began a campaign against Spain in 1959
 They were responsible for assassinating Franco’s
probable successor and many other officials
 ETA declared an end to hostilities in October 2011
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16. THE ETA TURNS TO TERRORISM
 In 1968, the group started a true terrorist
campaign, although members did not view terrorism
as a full-time activity
 Most members engaged in terrorism for only about three
years, then returned to their full-time occupations
 As ETA violence expanded, women grew more active
in the movement
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17. ETA TACTICS AND SPANISH DEATH
SQUADS
 As Spanish repression increased in the 1970s, the
ETA escalated its attacks
 The ETA began a Marighella-style campaign of
assassination, robbery, and banditry
 Government responded with martial law
 Death squads, such as Warriors of Christ the King
and the Basque Spanish Battalion, began to torture
and murder suspected terrorists and their
supporters
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18. HISTORY OF ETA TERRORISM
PARTS I & II
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUhbXMUYTbM&feature=player_ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFISCVWr2-o&feature=player_Discussion:
 How much of the information presented were you aware of prior to
watching the video?
 Do you consider ETA to be a terrorist organization or freedom fighters
for the Basque peoples? Support your view.
 Do you believe that the Basque region should be given the
independence it once had and want to have returned? Explain your
view.
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19. REFRAMING THE CONFLICT
 Government tried to delegitimize the ETA by
fostering democracy in Basque region
 Creation of a Basque national police
 Basques were given total control of the educational
system
 The ETA and its political wing became more
entrenched in working-class ideology
 In 2011, the ETA announced that it was abandoning
its military campaign
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20. THE SRI LANKAN CONFLICT
 The Tamils felt they were systematically excluded
from Sri Lanka’s economic life
 LTTE formed to fight for the Tamil minority
 LTTE knows for child kidnapping, suicide bombings and
assassinations
 Sri Lankan military and police forces launched a
major offensive against the LTTE in 2008
 Fighting ended in May 2009, bringing one of Asia’s
longest violent separatist conflicts to an end
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21. THE ORIGINS OF TAMIL DISSATISFACTION
 Tamil minority in Sri Lanka was concerned about
maintaining its ethnic identity among the Sinhalese
majority
 Sinhalese majority forced the government to adopt
a Sinhalese-only policy
 Buoyed by religious differences and ethnic support,
Tamil separatists could begin a guerrilla campaign
by waging terrorist war
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22. LTTE TACTICS
 Standard guerrilla tactics
 Ad hoc navy
 Robberies, bombings, and murder
 Anti-Tamil riots
 Terrorist training camps
 Suicide bombers
 Small-scale sea battles
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23. FIGHTING RENEWED
 Facing a weakened LTTE, Sri Lankan security forces
created “no-fire zones” and moved into Tamil areas
 Tamil Tigers fought a defensive battle against
conventional assaults
 Many of the commanders began blowing
themselves up instead of surrendering
 Fighting ended in May
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24. SILENT TSUNAMI - SRI LANKA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duFckSZBUJw&feature=Discussion:
 Were you surprised by the information presented in this
video?
 Would you say there is a similarity between the ETA and
the LTTE Tamil Tigers? Support your view.
 What can be done by the International community to help
the families find their missing family members?
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25. REPRESSION AFTER VICTORY
 Sinhalese majority government has reverted to
policies similar to the ones that caused earlier Tamil
unrest
 Tamils are not free to move, and many remained in
internment camps
 Women in the north constantly victimized
 They don’t have the means to protect themselves or the
means to address their grievances
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26. SEPARATIST NEGOTIATIONS
 A government cannot be too eager to negotiate or it
could backfire
 Formal negotiations should begin only after a group
agrees to a cease-fire
 Negotiators down two paths
 One toward a political settlement
 The other toward the welfare of terrorists
 Negotiations must be broadly based
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27. CHAPTER TAKE AWAYS
 Ethnic and separatist movements involve attempts
to gain full or partial independence.
 When such groups employ terrorism, it may be
possible for each side to negotiate an end to
violence because each position is based on a
logical, attainable political solution.
 Despite the promise of negotiated peace, these
movements seem to be more violent than
ideological or religious terrorism.
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28. CHAPTER TAKE AWAYS
 Modern terrorism in Ireland grew from
dissatisfaction with Catholic emancipation in the
North.
 Basque separatism became violent when the ETA
launched a terrorist campaign in support of Basque
independence.
 Both of these cases have resulted in a peace
settlement through negotiations, although radical
extremists would like to disrupt the agreements.
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29. CHAPTER TAKE AWAYS
 Sri Lankan violence ended with the military
elimination of the LTTE.
 Rather than negotiate with the defeated Tamil
minority, the government has continued to routinely
suppress them.
 This may lead to renewed violence and the rebirth
of the LTTE or a similar organization in the Tamil
Diaspora.
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