ABSTRACT
This chapter specifically examines Northern Ireland in relation to the effects of deterrence on the Provisional IRA (PIRA) campaign and their linked political organisation Sinn Féin. It relates to a unique historical event in the study of deterrence. On PIRA's side, it was considered that the denial of Irish national rights was compounded by a day-to-day unfairness within the British state in Ireland and this overlapped with an emotional rage and a desire to hit back. Several scholars have argued that deterrence against terrorists cannot work and therefore this tactic/posture is a heavily debated aspect in the counter terrorism literature. The Northern Ireland 'Troubles is a key epoch in the study of modern terrorism and one of the more recent examples of the use of deterrence. Two distinct forms of repression used in Northern Ireland, formal and informal, were identified in research by White and Falkenberg-White which contributed to the escalation of violence in Northern Ireland.
