Comments on: The Limits of the Northern Ireland Analogy (2) http://blog.z-word.com/2009/01/the-limits-of-the-northern-ireland-analogy-2/ Commentary about Zionism, anti-Zionism, antisemitism and the conflict in the Middle East Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:06:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5-RC1.1 By: SF Stoop http://blog.z-word.com/2009/01/the-limits-of-the-northern-ireland-analogy-2/#comment-3402 SF Stoop Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:11:27 +0000 http://blog.z-word.com/?p=956#comment-3402 You would be forgiven for thinking on reading this piece that the proxy bomb had only been used from 1990 in Northern Ireland. Not so: proxy bombs were used by the IRA during the 1970s. Here's a quote: http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-8551365/Missing-their-mark-the-IRA.html#abstract <blockquote>In Northern Ireland the delivery of terrorist bombs by proxy had a long history. The first scholarly reference to the proxy bomb was in 1970 in the Irish University Review ("International Association," 1970). As the IRA began to routinely kidnap civilians to drive bombs toward predetermined locations, the tactic caused increasing consternation and revulsion, perhaps characterized nowhere more effectively than in Benedict Kiely's 1977 novella Proxopera. In Kiely's fictional account, Latin teacher Mr. Binchey is forced to drive a proxy bomb to the local town. As he drives he speaks for the author: "Not even the Mafia thought of the proxy bomb, operation proxy, proxopera for gallant Irish patriots fighting imaginary empires by murdering the neighbors" (Kiely, 1987).</blockquote> So it is somewhat incorrect to say, that the tactic was 'quickly abandoned'. In fact, whatever public revulsion there was in the 1970s and 80s was not sufficient to stop the IRA from seeing it as a legitimate tactic up until 1990. You would be forgiven for thinking on reading this piece that the proxy bomb had only been used from 1990 in Northern Ireland. Not so: proxy bombs were used by the IRA during the 1970s. Here’s a quote:

http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-8551365/Missing-their-mark-the-IRA.html#abstract

In Northern Ireland the delivery of terrorist bombs by proxy had a long history. The first scholarly reference to the proxy bomb was in 1970 in the Irish University Review (”International Association,” 1970). As the IRA began to routinely kidnap civilians to drive bombs toward predetermined locations, the tactic caused increasing consternation and revulsion, perhaps characterized nowhere more effectively than in Benedict Kiely’s 1977 novella Proxopera. In Kiely’s fictional account, Latin teacher Mr. Binchey is forced to drive a proxy bomb to the local town. As he drives he speaks for the author: “Not even the Mafia thought of the proxy bomb, operation proxy, proxopera for gallant Irish patriots fighting imaginary empires by murdering the neighbors” (Kiely, 1987).

So it is somewhat incorrect to say, that the tactic was ‘quickly abandoned’. In fact, whatever public revulsion there was in the 1970s and 80s was not sufficient to stop the IRA from seeing it as a legitimate tactic up until 1990.

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