How Terrorist Groups End

"This is an interesting book from the RAND Corporation, a long-established think-tank. It addresses a very important issue. Jones and Libicki examined hundreds of cases and found that terrorist groups are defeated not, generally, by military means but through other processes. These include law-enforcement measures – tracking down the terrorists and prosecuting them – and political ones, such as negotiation and power-sharing arrangements. Yes – Martin McGuiness is now a minister. We’ve seen this in other parts of the world, where terrorists agree a political bargain and become leaders. Some of the early political leaders of Israel once bombed the British forces. They don’t win entirely. There’s a power-sharing arrangement in Northern Ireland but it’s certainly not a military victory for the IRA. There are winners and losers in politics. But it’s a political struggle, not a military one. Exactly. Wars and terrorism usually end through a negotiated bargain. You have to sit across the table from those you consider terrorists and murderers and come to an agreement."