The 'getting them round a table talking' was largely an effect of a massive intelligence and infiltration campaign that reduced the IRA's offensive capability t

The 'getting them round a table talking' was largely an effect of a massive intelligence and infiltration campaign that reduced the IRA's offensive capability to the point that they figured they'd be better off playing the electoral game. Make no mistake, the IRA was defeated - but it took decades, and involved the kind of subtle work that seems to have been missing in Iraq or Afghanistan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stakeknife http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stakeknife is the best example - the guy who was put in charge of finding moles within the IRA had been a British agent for 20 years! Not that you'd expect any British or Unionist pols to mention this... when they've won, no point in rubbing their opponents' noses in it.