I believe the question in every politicianīs mind is wether to talk to terrorists or not, let alone "negotiate".
But it brings up an interesting point:
Should we refrain from talking to such groups? Should we not sit at a table and work things out? If things are not discussed, what hope is there to ever solve anything?
We have clearly witnessed how weapons and military power doesnīt solve a damn thing, so what other way is there to settle diferences?
Like it or not, these so-called "terrorist" groups are driven by political issues, and where else do political issues get settled, other than the negotiation table?
As someone once said, "war is the continuation of politics by other means".
As hard and nauseating as it can be, talks between such groups and governments must be kept flowing, otherwise we risk situations such as Israel today.
Therefore, i wouldnīt agree to Europe submiting to the wills of those groups, but i would definitely encourage negotiations and peace talks. Like it or not, these groups are not going to disappear just because we wish them to. They are a force to be reckoned with. Besides, these groups are scattered, decentralized, and wear no uniform, nor have they a flag to fight under, or an army you can destroy. It is foolish to try to conquer or destroy them using war tactics, when we know it will never work. Afghanista and Iraq are great examples of such innability.
As soon as governments aknowledge the existence of these groups, and that those groups represent the wishes of a sizable portion of the population, the obvious next step is the creation of a political arm. Northern Ireland is another good example. The IRA established the Shein Feinn, the UK government agreed to some key reivindications, and the IRA practically died because it had outlived its usefullness. Only the political arm remained. And what do you think was the reason for the IRAīs disapperence? Exactlly, they conducted talks. They sat down and talked things out. What the UK failed to achieve, after decades of bombs, soldiers and shootouts, was obtained within a year or two of solid conversations. As soon as the british government decided to drop the warlike atitude and decided to adopt a more diplomatic atitude, things managed to fall into place on their own.
Now, for the sake of discussion, it seems the british government is thinking about banning Shein Feinn altogether, just like Aznar did with ETAīS Batassuna. And you know what that will cause? Yup, the resurfacing of the armed wing of IRA. Makes you wonder, doesnīt it?
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"Quincitilius Varus, give me back my legions!"
Emperor Augustus of Rome.
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