ABSTRACT
The Northern Ireland situation is distinctive for its complexity and intractability. The principal purpose of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Northern Ireland is to illustrate important aspects of modern urban insurgency and terrorism. In response to the IRA attacks, Britain countered with both increased army actions and a repressive irregular force known as the Black and Tans. The civil rights movement began to look more and more ominous to the authorities as IRA men appeared in its ranks and as the People's Democracy, led by Bernadette Devlin, came on the scene. Public opinion in Britain, initially in sympathy with the Catholic demands, turned against them as IRA gunmen took control. The analysis of Ulster that the new IRA began to produce was straightforward Leninism: the root of the problem was the colonial relationship of Ulster to Britain. The British government has shown great determination in the pursuit of political and military solutions to the conflict in Ulster.
