Doctoral Dissertation Research: Disengagement from Terrorism in Northern Ireland and the Basque Country

University Of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

Terrorist groups are generally studied in isolation from the social movements in which they are embedded. As a result, understanding the phenomenon of terrorism and the process of its conclusion are limited. This comparative historical investigation of the success of the Northern Irish peace process during the 1990s and the failure over the last decade to achieve peace in the Basque Country of Spain provides an explanation of how terrorism ends based on the contributions of social movement theory. Theory suggests that centralized and hierarchical terrorist movements are better able to negotiate disengagement from violence than are de-centered, loosely-structured movements. These movement structures are largely a product of the state's counterterrorist efforts. Targeted counterterrorist policy focused on the dismantling of the military wing of the movement allows for the emergence and consolidation of peace factions within terrorist movements. More broadly, focused repression, targeting both violent and non-violent militants, actually favors violence-advocating hardliners. Combining both archival and interview-based research, this research reconstructs the strategic discourse that occurred within the Irish and Basque movements in order to demonstrate the specific constraints these movements faced in ending violence. It also reconstructs the ways in which peace factions within the movements overcame the constraints and worked to end terrorist conflicts. This research has implications beyond providing an explanation for the Irish success and Basque failure. First, by exploring the interactions between counterterrorism and internal movement politics, the findings can contribute to crafting policy which facilitates the emergence and development of peace factions within terrorist movements. Second, this research provides policy-makers and mediators with a better understanding of particular dilemmas and obstacles that peace factions face within their movements in leaving violence behind. Finally, recent developments in Basque politics make this project especially timely. On September 5, 2010, ETA initiated yet another ceasefire. By informing policy audiences in Spain of the ways in which previous attempts to resolve the conflict failed, and by identifying applicable parallels from the "successful" Irish case, this project can contribute to advancing strategies which could facilitate the eventual resolution of violent conflict in the Basque country.