From Neil Munro; This is why I love IP.

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

no comment

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Munro, Neil" <NMunro () nationaljournal com>
Date: October 5, 2005 8:57:38 AM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: From Neil Munro; This is why I love IP.


    This is why I love IP.

    In response to my comment that the Brits defeated the IRA,
Gordon Syme wrote that "the decommissioning of IRA weapons was brought
about through peaceful means. The British did not 'defeat' the IRA, that
implies they won by force. The British and Irish governments realised
many years ago that
the only way to end the problem was peaceful negotiation."

    The ability of nice people to believe that eloquence and
civilized conduct trumps war is delightful, just as children's desire to
believe in Santa Claus is delightful. It is certainly much more charming
than belief in a flat Earth, and is somewhat ennobling.

    But, of course, it is not true. From space we can see the Earth
is round, and with even a modest bit of intellectual effort, we can
address the question 'What made the parties decide to negotiate rather
than seek complete victory via a little extra violence?' As grade-school
kids recognize, the answer is fear that the enemy can inflict even
greater violence and pain. There is no evidence that man has evolved
into sainthood.

    I do hope Mr. Syme and others can continue to believe in the
diplomatic tooth-fairy, and that US leadership successfully balances
society's need for rough-shouldered force with the natural desire for
the dream of negotiated peace.

    Having received comments from other IP-readers, I know that some
IP-readers recognize the difficulty of this task.

    Like I say, I just love IP.

    Neil
    Born in Dublin, Ireland.



Begin forwarded message:

From: Gordon Syme <gsyme () twiceasgood net>
Date: October 5, 2005 5:04:24 AM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] more on High-tech army defeats insurgency; May I
citesome examples?


Professor Farber,

for IP, if you wish:

On Tue, 2005-10-04 at 16:35 -0400, David Farber wrote:


> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: "Munro, Neil" <NMunro () nationaljournal com>
> Date: October 4, 2005 4:04:53 PM EDT
>
> The Brits defeated the IRA this month
> after 25 years and roughly 4,000 deaths.

The decommissioning of IRA weapons was brought about through peaceful
means. The British did not 'defeat' the IRA, that implies they won by
force. The British and Irish governments realised many years ago that
the only way to end the problem was peaceful negotiation.

-Gordon Syme



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