Posted 6:05 p.m. Oct. 10
By Ashley M. Heher
U-WIRE Washington Bureau
BELFAST, Northern Ireland - In Northern Ireland, a province notorious for tension and terrorism between Loyalists and Republicans, students reacted to the latest stage of the United States-declared war on terrorism with mixed emotions.
Many who live, work and attend school in Belfast sympathize with the families of those killed in last month's attacks in New York and Washington. But others quietly say the worldwide attention on America's terrorist blight reopens old wounds in a region where unofficial counts estimate more than 3,000 people have been killed in terror-related incidents in the past 30 years.
"I think this country has a lot further to go [in relation to terrorism] than Afghanistan," said 18-year-old Ian Montgomery, a first-year student from Northern Ireland studying at Queen's University in Belfast. "Here, it's very delicate. There are too many issues to be resolved. It can't be seen as us versus them, like in Afghanistan. I think it can be seen that to almost the entire world, Afghanistan is wrong. In Northern Ireland, there's no way of telling who's right."
Other students, like 19-year-old Emily Pickering and Martin McGovern, 17, are worried about a potentially unmerited retaliatory strike on Afghanistan.
"I can't work out if it's a revenge act, or if they think this will really eradicate terrorism," Pickering, from England said. "I see [U.S. President George W.] Bush as someone who is relatively trigger happy. But England will always support America. I have always been a great believer in prevention as opposed to punishment. Part of me would be happy is rather than spend time and money on attacks, people would just sort out the problems that led to this."
McGovern, from Northern Ireland, said he fears the attacks on Afghanistan are a rash reaction by a country scorned.
"I think it's more of a thing that Americans have to find a scapegoat for the violence on the 11th of September," McGovern said. "The most likely suspect is Osama bin Laden, so that's why they're doing it. They want him, but they're doing it all the wrong way. It's just to satisfy American bloodlust. The world now has a couple of less tons of concrete. If I were an American, I'd be outraged, but it doesn't concern me that much."
By Ashley M. Heher
U-WIRE Washington Bureau
BELFAST, Northern Ireland - In Northern Ireland, a province notorious for tension and terrorism between Loyalists and Republicans, students reacted to the latest stage of the United States-declared war on terrorism with mixed emotions.
Many who live, work and attend school in Belfast sympathize with the families of those killed in last month's attacks in New York and Washington. But others quietly say the worldwide attention on America's terrorist blight reopens old wounds in a region where unofficial counts estimate more than 3,000 people have been killed in terror-related incidents in the past 30 years.
"I think this country has a lot further to go [in relation to terrorism] than Afghanistan," said 18-year-old Ian Montgomery, a first-year student from Northern Ireland studying at Queen's University in Belfast. "Here, it's very delicate. There are too many issues to be resolved. It can't be seen as us versus them, like in Afghanistan. I think it can be seen that to almost the entire world, Afghanistan is wrong. In Northern Ireland, there's no way of telling who's right."
Other students, like 19-year-old Emily Pickering and Martin McGovern, 17, are worried about a potentially unmerited retaliatory strike on Afghanistan.
"I can't work out if it's a revenge act, or if they think this will really eradicate terrorism," Pickering, from England said. "I see [U.S. President George W.] Bush as someone who is relatively trigger happy. But England will always support America. I have always been a great believer in prevention as opposed to punishment. Part of me would be happy is rather than spend time and money on attacks, people would just sort out the problems that led to this."
McGovern, from Northern Ireland, said he fears the attacks on Afghanistan are a rash reaction by a country scorned.
"I think it's more of a thing that Americans have to find a scapegoat for the violence on the 11th of September," McGovern said. "The most likely suspect is Osama bin Laden, so that's why they're doing it. They want him, but they're doing it all the wrong way. It's just to satisfy American bloodlust. The world now has a couple of less tons of concrete. If I were an American, I'd be outraged, but it doesn't concern me that much."
