James Dingley: Niedermayer film brings some serious questions about our Troubled past and the 'peace process' into sharper focus

This induced a terrible toll, for all three suffered a tragic ultimate fate as a resu lt of Herr Niedermayer’s murder. These are the kind of untold stories that bring home the real vicious squalor of terrorism. These are tragedies that cannot claim ‘compensation’, as if they ever could be compensated. Similar stories lie behind every terrorist crime – cold brutal destruction of lives and families over generations that usually just increase and deepen the bitterness and hatred that initially fed them.

Yet now such terrorists and their representatives are lauded as peace-makers, sit in government over us, pontificate about wrongs and injustices done to them and make endless compensation claims. Further, few admit they did any wrong, claiming they were justified, whilst they are honoured and held up as heroes in their communities, sports fields named after them and songs sung about them. They often still walk free and enjoy life. Rarely is the kind of cold, dispassionate analysis of what terrorism is really about laid bare.

If, like me, you felt slightly nauseated by the self-congratulating political circus and media jamboree over Easter this year, you were no doubt asking questions about the so called ‘peace process’. The Niedermayer film brought those questions into sharper focus. The same bitterness and divisions still exist, the same grievance culture continues, the same infantile politics is maintained by those justifying their terrorism. Meanwhile, the terrorists appear to dominate the political scene, whilst the voice of innocents who genuinely suffered is rarely heard, stifled by the need to – placate terrorists?

I have studied terrorism, around the world, for many years and spoken to failed suicide bombers, active terrorists, released convicted terrorists and many of their political representatives and the film made me reflect on this. What can we learn? Condemnation is easy. But why do they do it? This is a more important question, especially if one seeks solutions.

In my experience there are various motives which can be whittled down to a few key factors. First: ludicrously simplistic politics that blames the ‘other’ for all ‘our’ problems, which often really do exist but whose solution is beyond the simplistic mind of the terrorist. Second: especially amongst nationalist-r epublicans, an inability to self-critically examine their faults and failings, making them part of the problem. Third: the chance for ‘little’ men to become ‘big’ men in their community, gun-toting, part of a group inducing fear and compliance. Fourth: most terrorists I met were not ‘bad’ people as such and few were psychopaths (who usually make poor terrorists, because uncontrollable and disruptive) but did tend to be ‘true believers’ with little ability at reflective thought. But psychopaths do get in and then revel in what they are able to do (Bri an Keenan, who masterminded Niedermayer’s kidnap, was one such man). Finally: many terrorists come from social backgrounds where violence is a norm for resolving disputes.

It appears to me that we have not come very far in addressing any of these ‘causes’, yet are these now the people who now have political control here?

It is easy to think after watching the Niedermayer film – anything is better than imposing this kind of nightmare on people again. But one also has to balance that with – should we let the perpetrators of such acts get away with it and succeed? Success breeds success.

James Dingley (former NATO instructor and university lecturer on terrorism)