So we are probably all at least vaguely aware of the IRA (Irish Republican Army). Most of us are aware that the reasons for this conflict were not religious in nature but ethnic and political. Religion was merely a cover for nationalistic aspirations for both Irish nationalists and mostly Scottish unionists. The most recent conflict lasted from the 1960s to 1997 when a cease fire was signed after the IRA launched a massive bombing campaign in England.
Why bring this up? Because this was one of the most recent nationalist conflicts in the west and I think we can and should learn from it. Who won? It could be argued that either side won. The Unionists wanted Northern Ireland to stay in the Union and there it remains to this day. However Sinn Fein has massive political power in Ireland now and many Unionists feel that they have lost out. Ethnic tensions remain.
Based on my limited knowledge of the conflict, I believe that Sinn Fein never would have gotten as much political power as they have now without the IRA violence. On the otherhand, many Irish nationalists are deeply dissatisfied that Sinn Fein has "betrayed" the cause by normalizing relations with Westminster and the "dilution" of their nationalistic aspirations. So which side won is hard to say for certain.
There are in my opinion two massively important things we must learn from this conflict.
1. How to wage an effective guerilla war. Whether the IRA won the war or not, they did manage to force political concessions from the Westminster government. They achieved great success and became undefeatable by the government. We should learn from their successes and mistakes.
2. This is the single most important issue of all; Sinn Fein is a very diluted remnant of the former nationalistic party. What happened? What diluted them? And how can we avoid the same thing happening to us if and when we take political power?
We must be realistic about politics or we will end up inhabiting the political System we wish to destroy. Please share your thoughts and if you have inside knowledge of the conflict or were involved, your input will be very useful no matter how small. I'd love to hear more about the conflict as I am ignorant of the story beyond the official narrative.