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Plenty of terrorist movements throughout history have succeeded, perhaps we don't call them terrorists though because they have had the chance to rebrand themse
by rmchugh 10y ago
Plenty of terrorist movements throughout history have succeeded, perhaps we don't call them terrorists though because they have had the chance to rebrand themselves. Just to give an example from Ireland, there was terrorism on both sides of the religious divide. If we agree that the independence movement failed (and I don't think that things are that simple), then we are implicitly saying that the loyalist terrorists (together with the rest of the British armed forces) won.
Just like a language is a dialect with an army, a freedom fighter is a successful terrorist. And let's not forget that terrorism is a prime strategy of successful states, such as the US or Colombia, where right wing death squads successfully defeated a guerrilla movement.
- tn13 10y agoA good example is of Pakistan which was created after the founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah raised a "call to action" which was basically shedding blood of innocents in random parts of India. Thousands of people died as Mohandas Gandhi roamed around preaching restraint. As the death toll started mounting the British government and Indian National Congress has no choice but to accept partition and exchange of population which was another very bloody affair capable of shaming entire humanity. No one calls Jinnah a terrorist or views Pakistan as a result of a terrorist movement but it indeed was.
- anonymousDan 10y agoExactly. Slightly tongue in cheek, The Boston Tea party would probably be viewed as a terrorist attack if it happened today.