Terrorism: The Difference Between the Irish Republican Army and Al Qaeda - Research Paper Example

? Terrorism The Difference between the Irish Republican Army and Al Qaeda 20 September Introduction Irish Republican Army and Al Qaeda are two of the most prominent terrorist organizations in the modern world. Irish Republican Army or IRA was established on 25 November 1913 to fight against British rule in Ireland during the period of 1919–21. Michael Collins was the founder of Irish Republican Army. The signing of 1921 of the Anglo-Irish Treaty has put an end to the British rule in Ireland. However, the terms and conditions of this agreement were unacceptable to many of the Irish volunteers who fought against the British rule in their mother country. Because of that, a split occurred in Irish republican army at the time of signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. The rebels or the comrades of IRA who opposed the treaty started to fight against the supporters of this treaty. They argued that Britain is still keeping a substantial portion of Ireland under their control and no peace agreement would be possible until the formation of a fully independent Ireland. Thus, a civil war started to occur in Ireland, immediately after the signing of the treaty between the supporters and critics of the agreement and it is still going on in different forms. The IRA has never been listed as a terrorist organization by the State Department, but the British Home Office lists any group under the IRA name, as well as various splinter organizations, as proscribed terrorist groups. The IRA no longer describes itself as an armed force and officially ended its armed campaign to reunify Ireland in July 2005. An independent report stated that the IRA has decommissioned its weapons. This announcement was greeted with praise and hope by both the British and Irish governments. However, the IRA and its political wing still oppose what it calls an illegal foreign occupation of its country1 On the other hand, Al Qaeda is believed to be founded by Osama Bin Laden during the latter parts of 1980’s. Its origin is believed to be in Afghanistan. It should be noted that Afghanistan was under the control of former Soviet Union during the 80’s and 90’s. America was annoyed by the increasing presence and influence of Soviet Union in Asia during that period. They found the presence of Soviet Union in Asia as a threat to their interests in this region. As a result of that, they started to encourage activities against Soviet administration in Afghanistan. America spread the message among the Muslim fundamentalists that communism is the number one enemy of Islam and hence it should be expelled from Muslim countries as quickly as possible. They helped Osama Bin Laden to organize a militant group to fight against the Soviet troops in Afghanistan. Even though America did succeed in expelling Soviet troops from Afghan soil, they failed to control the Al Qaeda activities within the territories of Afghanistan. After tasting success in Afghanistan, Al Qaeda started to increase its activities outside the boundaries of Afghanistan. Osama realised that many of the Muslim brothers in Middle East and other parts of the world are facing lot of threats from America and its allies like Israel. So, he decided to spread his activities all over the world to help Muslim brothers to fight against the enemies of Islam. Al Qaeda is currently conducting secret missions against America even though Osama was killed by American troops recently. “Within hours of the death of the US ambassador to Libya, a familiar refrain was heard. The attack, apparently, had all the hallmarks of an al-Qaida operation”2 Even though both IRA and Al Qaeda are terrorist organizations formed for different purposes, there are lot of similarities and differences between these two organizations. IRA is fighting in the name of nationalism whereas AL Qaeda is fighting in the name of religion. IRA is fighting against people of its own culture whereas Al Qaeda is fighting against people of different culture from Islam. Moreover, Al Qaeda has wide network all over the world whereas IRA does not have operations outside Europe. Apart from these differences there are lots of structural, functional and ideological differences between these two terrorist organizations. Al Qaeda militates are from Muslim religion whereas IRA activists are from Christian religion. Plenty of other differences are there between Al Qaeda and IRA. This paper analyses the major differences between Al Qaeda and Irish Republican Army. Differences between Irish republican Army and Al Qaeda Structural differences The inner organizational structure of Al Qaeda within the expanded framework of the “Global Jihad movement” has been a subject of much debate between scholars. The “Global Jihad movement” is composed of several elements that possess radical Islamic ideology and conduct operational activity in different regions in the world under the banner of Jihad. The dominant factor within the “Global Jihad movement” is by no doubt Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda is first and foremost, an infrastructural organization with a formal echelon, hierarchy, sub-departmental division, and duties distribution reflecting characteristics of a guerilla and terrorist organization. The article portrays the formal layout of Al Qaeda, composed of the main command apparatus, and names the different personalities who fill the more important positions within Al Qaeda’s hierarchy from its days of inception until today3. In computer networking terms, one can say that Al Qaeda has wide area network or WAN whereas IRA has local area network or LAN. It is difficult for an organization working internationally to have same structure as that of an organization working locally or regionally. In other words, it is impossible for Al Qaeda like international terrorist organization to adopt a structure similar to that of IRA. The structure of Al Qaeda consist of an Islamic army and Shura or the advisory council Under this, different committees such as Foreign purchases committee, Sharia and political committee, finance committee, security committee, military committee and information committee are functioning. Under Military committee a training subcommittee and camp admin subcommittee is functioning. Sharia advisory council consists of Bin Laden’s close allies. Political committee is responsible for issuing fatwas whenever needed. Military committee is responsible for gathering information, providing training to the militants and managing terrorist operations. Finance committee on the other hand is responsible for fund raising activities for terrorist operations. Foreign purchase committee look after the purchase of weapons, explosives and technical equipment. Security committee look after intelligence collection, counter intelligence, physical protection etc. Information committee is responsible for spreading propaganda across the world regarding enemy’s activities as well as Al Qaeda’s activities4. The structure of IRA is entirely different from that of Al Qaeda. The day-to-day running of the IRA is conducted by a seven-person Army Council. Members of the council always include the chief of staff, the adjutant general and the quartermaster general. In recent times, the members have been mainly from Northern Ireland and the Border counties. Members of the present council come from Belfast, Derry, Donegal, north Monaghan and the Louth-Armagh border area. The General Army Convention (GAC) is the supreme authority of the IRA and meets on comparatively rare occasions. According to the IRA Constitution, the GAC is to meet once every two years unless a majority deem it better for military reasons to postpone a meeting. Delegates to the GAC include IRA members selected by various units within the organization as well as the members of the Army Council. The GAC selects a 12-member Army Executive which meets at least once every six months. One of the key roles of the executive is to select the members of the Army Council. It is also the role of the executive to advise the Army Council on all matters concerning the IRA. When the GAC is not in session, the Army Council is the supreme authority of the IRA. The planning and implementation of Army Council decisions are carried out by the General Headquarters (GHQ) Staff, which acts as the link between the council and Northern and Southern commands. The Northern Command covers Northern Ireland as well as the Republic's border counties, Donegal, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan and Louth: a total of 11 counties. The Northern Command has at least five brigades - Belfast, Derry, Donegal, Armagh and Tyrone-Monaghan. The Southern Command, which covers 21 counties, has a much smaller number of personnel spread lightly around the Republic. It has a Dublin brigade and a number of smaller units in the provinces. Each command has its own commanding officer, director of operations and quartermaster. The operational arm consists of cells known as Active Service Units (ASUs) each with usually five to eight members, sometimes more. Occasionally, special teams are assembled by the Army Council/GHQ Staff for special operations. There is a women's section known as Cumann na mBan5. The membership of IRA is extremely small compared to that of Al Qaeda. It is current strength of IRA has only about 400 hard-core activists at present. However, IRA has many second line activists who can be utilized on a crisis. IRA members are usually referred as volunteers whereas Al Qaeda members are labelled as militants. In other words, it is difficult to label IRA as a terrorist organization even though it conducts many bloody activities, resulting in the death of innocent people. Most of the IRA volunteers are operating from Northern Ireland even though a small fraction is based at Republic of Ireland and UK. One of the interesting facts about Irish Republican Army (IRA) is that it enjoys moral support from America even though America is a country with good relations with Britain. It is believed that a small fraction of IRA volunteers is operating from USA also. James Ivory (2007) pointed out that “IRA has historically enjoyed a degree of romantic sympathy from many supporters in the United States”6. Even though America is currently fighting against Al Qaeda like terrorist organizations, they are not much keen in fighting against IRA terrorism. This is because of the soft corner America is keeping towards the demands of Irish people. America believes that IRA has genuine reasons to justify their fight against Britain. Unlike, Al Qaeda militants, majority of the IRA volunteers are working part time. In fact, majority of the IRA volunteers have some other full time profession. On the other hand, Al Qaeda militants are full time terrorists who concentrate fully on Al Qaeda’s missions. Functional differences Operations of Al Qaeda Even though both the organizations are not much bothered in conducting bloody terrorist activities, there are certain differences in the functioning of these organizations. Al Qaeda is keen in conducting terrorist activities all over the world; but IRA’s terrorist activities confined within the territories of Ireland or Britain. Al Qaeda is active in countries such as Pakistan, Yemen, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, India, Libya, etc. Even though 9/11 World Trade Centre attack is labelled as the hallmark of Al Qaeda, its activities are not against America alone. In many of the terrorists attacks happened in India (Parliament attack, Mumbai terrorist attack etc) Al Qaeda’s involvement is suspected. The recent killing of American ambassador in Libya, Middle East unrest and Syrian problems are some other incidents in which Al Qaeda’s involvement is proved or suspected. On 21 July 2012, the Islamic State of Iraq announced a new campaign, Operation Breaking Walls, aimed at winning back territory previously lost to the US and Iraqi forces. The jihadists are seeking to undermine the Shia-dominated government of Iraq and reach out to the Sunni population. July has been the deadliest month in Iraq in two years. The recent al-Qaida surge coincided with the month of Ramadan, and they vowed to wage a "sacred offensive". According to AFP, the death toll in Ramadan reached 411. Recent propaganda videos shed ample light on its modus operandi. A video uploaded in late June shows graphic military operations against the Iraqi security forces and the Sunni Awakening tribesmen who continue to stand in the way of the jihadists. Dressed in civilian clothes and armed with silenced weapons, the jihadists make swift work of their killings and executions. The checkpoints are overwhelmed in the surprise attacks and security forces have little time to respond. Al-Qaida propaganda videos are laced with typical sectarian rhetoric. The Shia are referred to as a "disease" to the Islamic world that has no cure besides death. Al-Qaida asserts that the Sunni politicians who work for the Shia government have failed to deliver anything to their constituents7. Al Qaeda is doing everything possible to destabilize the present Sunni dominated government of Iraq. In their opinion, the present Iraqi government is acting as a toy in the hands of America and hence it should be expelled as quickly as possible. Al Qaeda is doing everything possible to win back the territories it lost with the help of some of the Jihadi organizations in Iraq. Even during the month of Ramadan, Al Qaeda conducted many bloody attacks in Iraq and labelled it as a sacred war. India is another country targeted by Al Qaeda. It should be noted that India’s northern state Kashmir is a disputed land since the independence of India. Pakistan claims that Kashmir is territory and India is occupying it forcefully. On the other hand, India believes that Pakistan is doing everything possible to create problems in India and Kashmir. India and Pakistan have already conducted two wars over this issue and they came close to another war on many occasions in recent times. The destruction of Muslim mosque Babri Masjid in 1992 by some Hindu extremists in India has widened the gap between Muslim and Hindu community in India. Al Qaeda believes that Muslims in India are facing lot of threats from their Hindu counterparts. Moreover, Al Qaeda demands that Kashmir should be separated from India and it should be joined to Pakistan. Middle East is another place in which Al Qaeda is hyperactive. Israel’s massacres against Palestinians have motivated Al Qaeda to fight against Israeli troops in Middle East. Al Qaeda believes that America is currently conducting a war against Islam with the help of Zionists of Jews. In their opinion, America is trying to wipe of Muslim culture from this world with the help of Israel. America’s reluctance in vetoing any resolutions against Israel in UN is another factor that provokes Al Qaeda. They argue that America is following a pro-Christian/Jew and anti-Muslim policy all over the world. “In the post-September 11 context, Israelis hope that the United States -now a victim of massive domestic terrorism-will have more sympathy for them”8. Their hope came true as US started massive campaigns against Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations in the name of war on terror, immediately after the 9/11 incident. In order to counter the threats from America and Israel, Al Qaeda has already joined hands with Hamas like terrorist organizations in Palestine to fight against America and Israel. Operations of IRA The operations of Irish Republican army are entirely different from that of Al Qaeda. As stated earlier, IRA is not much interested in conducting terrorist activities outside Europe. Their operations were confined within the boundaries of Britain or Ireland. Northern Ireland is the major area in which IRA bases its operations. For the majority, that is, those who joined after 1969 at a very young age without any previous involvement in organized networks of activism, it began as a more abruptly acquired sense of obligation to defend their own community and retaliate against the Northern Ireland establishment, the Loyalists, and the British army. Overall, the accounts of former volunteers generally suggest that Republican volunteers were fighting first and foremost to reclaim dignity, build honor, and instill a sense of pride in themselves and their community through armed activism. In these terms, the choice of joining the IRA was justified not as a mere reproduction of an ideological alignment to the traditional Republican aim of achieving Irish reunification but as part of a recognition struggle9. Britain is a country which consists of three major geographical areas; England, Scotland and Ireland. It should be noted that some portions of Ireland is still under the control of Britain even though Britain granted freedom to Ireland. History says that conflicts may occur in places, which are divided into different countries. The division of Korea into North and South Koreas, Germany into East and West Germanys, India into India and Pakistan etc are better examples for the above claim. Even though German conflicts were ended with the unification of the Germanys, the cases are different in India, Pakistan, Korea, etc. Same way, Ireland is also a place in which the memories of a united Ireland haunt the public even now. Many of the Irish people believe that there is no justification for Britain to occupy some of the territories of Ireland still. In their opinion, Britain has humiliated Ireland with the help of muscle power. These feelings motivate IRA volunteers to fight against Britain to regain their lost pride. Ideological differences The mission and vision of Al Qaeda and IRA are entirely different. Al Qaeda is working for the wellbeing of Muslim people all over the world whereas IRA is working to regain the pride of Irish people. In other words, cultural reasons motivate Al Qaeda whereas feeling of nationalism motivates IRA. As mentioned earlier, Al Qaeda believes that some cultures are working against the interests of Islam. It rates America and Israel as the major enemies of Islam. Al Qaeda believes in the ideology that killing of enemies of Islam is a sacred act. They cite many quotes from Quran to substantiate their arguments. Al Qaeda is adamant in Islamic beliefs and customs. Al Qaeda’s real strength lies not in its military strength or global infrastructure, but in its ideology. Al-Qaeda's principal aim today is to inspire and incite Islamist movements and the Muslim masses worldwide to attack those perceived to be the enemies of Islam. Although the majority of Muslims worldwide do no support al-Qaeda, the group is constantly seeking to reinvigorate the global jihad movement by exploiting the widespread suffering, resentment, and anger in the Muslim world and turning it against the United States and its allies. Considering the sympathy and new recruits it has gathered from Islamist groups in Asia, Africa, Middle East, and elsewhere, the ideological campaign unleashed by al-Qaeda has been a partial success10. Compared to other religions, Islam is more adamant in its beliefs and customs. It is not ready to dilute its beliefs even though science and technology have developed a lot. All the other religions were ready to make some changes in their ideologies and beliefs because of the developments and advancements in human life. For example, in some Christian countries, same sex marriages, lesbianism, and gayism have legal protection whereas in none of the Islamic countries such things have any kind of recognition. It should be noted that in most of the Islamic countries in the Middle East and other parts of the world, dictators are ruling. This is because of Islam’s less respect towards democracy and human right issues. In fact Islamic dictators educate the public that democracy may spoil Islam from this world. That is why Mubarak, Saddam and Gadhafi like dictators were able to stick in power for a reasonable period of time. One cannot forget the fact that Taliban is still popular in Afghanistan even though their brutalities are infamous all over the world. In short, Islamic believers are not much ready to accept changes. They give first priority to their religion and all the other things will be secondary to them. Al Qaeda knows such sentiments and beliefs of Muslim people and they are trying to capitalize it. The IRA’s activities were shaped by its republican doctrine which was ‘essentially an expression of political and cultural nationalism’. Furthermore, the IRA always belonging to Catholic community had been suppressed and segregated. In its eyes, continuing violence was the only effective force to struggle. Although they would be imprisoned, they would still take pride in imprisonment rather than take a shame. The IRA’s extension of violence and resistance to removal of Special Political Status, were both the reflection of its loyalty to a traditional nationalism. Its view of Northern Ireland is summarized by two phrases: ‘the people of Ireland form one nation’; and ‘the fault for keeping Ireland divided lies with Britain11.’ Unlike Al Qaeda, IRA does not have any ideologies with respect to culture. Their only intention is to regain their lost pride from the hands of Britain. IRA’s ideologies are similar to that of Hitler. Hitler was responsible for Second world war and the major reason cited for this war was the lost pride of Germans in the first world war. Hitler and his allies believed that rest of the world have humiliated Germany in the first world war and the conditions of the peace treaty signed for the ending of WW1 was against the interests of Germans. Same way IRA volunteers believe that the 1920’s peace agreement with Britain caused major harm to the interests of Ireland. They argue that Ireland should have developed as a prosperous nation unless Britain divided it into different fractions. IRA volunteers argue that Britain deliberately divided Ireland into two fractions to prevent Ireland from becoming a threat to Britain in future.  “The IRA” has always represented a belief in the legitimacy of armed force in pursuit of Irish independence. We discuss the idea, held by the IRA for many years, that after the usurpation of the Irish Republic by the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1922, the IRA’s Army Council was the provisional government of Ireland, pending the overthrow of British-imposed institutions. We talk about whether this has meant that the IRA represents a strain of anti-democratic militarism in Irish politics. That is represented an armed challenge to democracy - a view advanced by many, both north and south. We also talk about the ideological shifts in the IRA over the years, placing it sometimes on the far-left, sometimes on the Catholic right and at one time even into collaboration with Nazi Germany12. IRA volunteers believe that they are fighting for freedom rather than anything else. In their opinion, it is difficult to obtain freedom without violent activities. They do believe that Ireland belongs to Irish people and Britain has nothing to with Irish matters. They point out that Britain had already given freedom to most of its colonies and delaying the full freedom of Ireland because of selfish reasons. Conclusions Both Al Qaeda and IRA fights for freedom; but they differ in their ideologies. Both the organizations have no hesitation in attacking or bombing civilian targets. However, there are many structural, functional, and ideological differences between Al Qaeda and Irish Republican Army or IRA. Al Qaeda has thousands of militants and has many different committees to coordinate its functions. On the other hand, IRA has around 400 hard-core activists. Al Qaeda operates globally whereas IRA operates regionally. Al Qaeda is exploiting religion for its terrorist activities whereas IRA exploits nationalism for getting support to its activities. Even though the activities of Al Qaeda and IRA remain same, their missions, visions, and ideologies are entirely different. Al Qaeda operates from a global perspective whereas IRA operates from a regional perspective. IRA fights for regaining their lost national pride whereas Al Qaeda fights against the enemies of Islam. Culture plays an important role in the activities of Al Qaeda whereas nationalism plays an important role in the activities of IRA. Al Qaeda believes that some cultures are working against Islam and it is their duty to protect Islam from total destruction. They label America and Israel as the major enemies of Islam and engage in terrorist activities mainly against the Americans and Jews. On the other hand, IRA engages in terrorist activities against British people. They believe that Britain wanted to prevent the progress of Ireland. IRA volunteers argue that Britain should give full freedom to Ireland. Al Qaeda believes that America and its allies are conducting a secret mission to baptize the Muslim world. In their opinion, America’s policies in Middle East are clear example for America’s hidden agenda to destroy Muslim religion from this world. In short, Al Qaeda and IRA are terrorist organizations with huge differences in their ideology, functioning and structure. Bibliography 1. 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