NCJ Number
150199
Date Published
1992
Length
94 pages
Annotation
This study analyzes the terrorism of the Basque, Corsican, and Northern Irish nationalist movements and evaluates the government response in contemporary Western Europe.
Abstract
In the Basque fight for independence from Spain, the most violent group called ETA has recently suffered severe setbacks and has lost much influence. At the same time, more moderate Basques have shown willingness to stop the violence and negotiate. Although within the past 15 years, the Corsican independence movement has been responsible for numerous violent acts, these have always been followed by periods of relative calm. Violence is ingrained in Corsican history, but it is far less intense than in the Basque province or Northern Ireland. Most importantly, no trend to increase the violence has been observed. Responsible for 2,100 deaths in the past 20 years, the terrorism in Northern Ireland under the leadership of the Irish Republican Army is the most threatening in Western Europe. Nevertheless, since the 1980's the number of casualties has remained steady. This stabilization is due not only to the effectiveness of the British Army but also to self-imposed restraint of the resistance fighters. Although European countries have tried to present a common front to terrorism, they perceive these independence movements mainly as threats to national sovereignty and deal with them on a national level.