Terrorist Lists

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7340248.stm
This one's been on my mind for a while, but as usual it takes a BBC report to bring it out. Nelson Mandela and the ANC are still on the terrorist list in the US, put there back in the days of the ancien regime. Just what the Yanks thought they were doing putting them on the list in the first place is a worthy question in it's own right.

I suppose it highlights the terribly political nature of the list. ETA is on the list, though they hardly constitute a threat to the US. There was another case I can't remember exactly, of the Americans funding someone on the list because of shifting political sands, in Somalia maybe.

Isn't the purpose of the list, in the context of the USA, really to prevent them from fundraising in the States. Though ETA posed no threat to America there are plenty of Basque extraction in America who may support it - same went for the IRA. Not providing justification, merely a possible explanation.

Ah, but why are the Americans worried about ETA funding in the States? It's a conspiracy I tell ya; they put them on the list as a favour to Spain. Now, nothing wrong with that. But it raises the question of what merite going on the list. If there was a terrorist group in China would it merit the same attention?

I was under the impression that the IRA fund raised in the US right up till the 2001 attacks. I assume that the IRA was on the list before then but everyone just ignored it, which raises questions as to how useful this list is. I mean, if the ANC is still on it after all these years...

I believe (though I may well be wrong) that the IRA only got proscribed in the US after 9/11.

MikeW wrote:

I believe (though I may well be wrong) that the IRA only got proscribed in the US after 9/11.

Right, that makes sense!

Hmmm according to this, the IRA wasn't listed as at Oct 2001, but then neither was the ANC.

And indeed nor where they in 2006....

Although this one is interesting:

32 COUNTY SOVEREIGNTY COMMITTEE (a.k.a. 32 COUNTY SOVEREIGNTY
MOVEMENT; a.k.a. IRISH REPUBLICAN PRISONERS WELFARE ASSOCIATION;
a.k.a. REAL IRA; a.k.a. REAL IRISH REPUBLICAN ARMY; a.k.a. REAL
OGLAIGH NA HEIREANN; a.k.a. RIRA)


CONTINUITY ARMY COUNCIL (a.k.a. CONTINUITY IRA (CIRA); a.k.a.
CONTINUITY IRISH REPUBLICAN ARMY; a.k.a. REPUBLICAN SINN FEIN),


United Kingdom [FTO]

your not on the list of terrorising the enemy of america see mek in and around iran.

when did mandela stop being a commie?

it makes perfect sense for eta to on the list, re funding etc

A year ago the bad guys were in The Sunni Triangle but now they are the good guys. Last year they were killing US soldiers and now 80000 of them are getting 10 dollars a day to be good. The Shia are now the bad guys but not the Maliki Shia they are good guys too.