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The Provisional Irish Republican Army and the Morality of Terrorism
The Provisional Irish Republican Army and the Morality of Terrorism Author:Timothy Shanahan Is terrorism ever morally justified? Should we take historical and cultural factors into account in judging the morality of terrorist acts? What are the ethical limits of state counter-terrorism?For three decades the Provisional Irish Republican Army waged an "armed struggle" against what it perceived to be the British occupation of Northern Ire... more »land. To its supporters, the IRA was the legitimate army of Ireland, fighting for a British withdrawal as a prelude to the reunification of the Irish nation. To its enemies, the IRA was an illegal, fanatical terrorist organization whose members were criminals sacrificing innocent lives in pursuit of an ideological obsession. At the center of this conflict were the then unconventional tactics employed by the IRA, including sectarian killings, political assassinations, and bombings of urban centres& mdash;acts that have become increasingly commonplace in our post-9/11 world.This book is the first detailed philosophical examination of the morality of the IRA's violent campaign and the British government's attempts to end it. Students and scholars who wish to acquire a deeper understanding of a paradigmatic conflict of the late twentieth century will find a wealth of information in this provocative inquiry.« less