Objectives, They Are Joined by the Fact That They Cerns Not Its Present Status, but More Impor- Have Terrorized Others to Achieve Their Goals
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Lehigh Preserve Institutional Repository The Death of Violence Zanias, Stephen 2005 Find more at https://preserve.lib.lehigh.edu/ This document is brought to you for free and open access by Lehigh Preserve. It has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of Lehigh Preserve. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE DEATH OF VIOLENCE Stephen Zanias Introduction separatists are legitimately fighting for their rights of freedom and self-determination. Like Following the lead of the United States, many terrorist groups, the issue comes down the world has taken a stand against terrorism,1 to a matter of perspective, one that involves in- which plays a role on many different stages depth analysis of the history and motivations of around the world. Each stage has its unique set the parties involved. of characters and history; and while the groups However, setting aside the issue of legiti- may differ in geographic location, ideals, or macy, a more pressing question for ETA con- objectives, they are joined by the fact that they cerns not its present status, but more impor- have terrorized others to achieve their goals. tantly its future. In conjunction with issues that To many there is no justification for the atroc- will be detailed in this article, the internation- ities they have committed; to others the vio- al backlash against terrorism makes ETA’s lence and the reasons for which a terrorist future appear dismal. In short, ETA appears to group fights may be acceptable. As the saying be dying. While ETA has been pursuing its sep- goes, “One man’s terrorist is another man’s aratist agenda for over forty-five years, a large freedom fighter.” majority of the Basque people are finally taking One such group is ETA, an acronym in a stand against the group and its practices. Euskara (the language of the Basques) for ETA’s reign of terror and power is coming to a “Basque Fatherland and Liberty.” (“Terrorist close. Group...”) While many feel ETA is an unjustifi- However, the separatist movement is mov- able terrorist group, there are those who would ing forward — though with a different argue that this relatively small group of Basque approach. Where violence and terrorism failed to accomplish ETA’s objectives, great strides are 1In Title 22 of the U.S. Code, Section 2656f(d), the U.S. being made in the political arena. Under the government has defined terrorism as “premeditated, polit- direction of Basque President Juan José ically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombat- Ibarretxe, the Basque Country government has ant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usu- ally to influence an audience.” (“Terrorism…”) passed several resolutions to provide for 97 increased Basque autonomy. Drawing on pop- location throughout their history. (Hooper, ular support, these efforts have produced some pp. 386–87) limited dialogue with the Spanish government. The Basque people are distinguished fur- While the success of the political initiatives ther by their language, Euskara. The language remains to be seen, there is increased hope for helps to give them a cultural identity and define those Basques who wish to see a more inde- them as a people, and is therefore of great pendent state. importance and a significant source of their This article first presents information national pride. Today, several hundred thousand about the background of the Basque people and people speak the language in the Basque region, the origins of ETA. It then analyzes the various which extends from northeastern Spain into reasons for the weakening of ETA. Lastly, it southwestern France. explores the potential ramifications of ETA’s Combining these distinctions with archae- political aspirations and the future of the ological evidence leads Hooper, an expert in Basque cause. Spanish affairs, to suggest that the Basques ... might be direct descendants of Different Communities Cro-Magnon man.... [T]he absence from Basque folklore of any sort of The Kingdom of Spain is a conglomera- migration legend, when combined with the linguistic and serological tion of several states molded together through evidence, would seem to suggest that time and conquest and, today, is politically the Basques have lived where they divided into nineteen “autonomous communi- are now to be found since the Stone ties,” districts which assume varying degrees of Age. (Hooper, pp. 387–88) responsibility ranging from tax collection to The Basques are further distinguished by education. As a result of this history, there exist their historical isolation and consider them- several peoples within the political borders of selves to be unique and separate from the rest this state, each with their own unique heritage, of Spain. A strong Basque desire for freedom culture, language, and history. Among the and sovereignty, combined with their geo- many cultural minorities in Spain, three clear- graphic isolation, has caused resistance to out- ly predominate. The first two, the Catalans and side influence to become a hallmark of Basque the Galicians, reside along Spain’s east coast history. (Hooper, p. 388) When the Moors ruled and northwestern corner, respectively. The Spain for nearly 800 years (AD 718–1492), the Basques make up the third predominant cul- Basques were one of the few unconquered peo- tural entity and are, perhaps, the most cultur- ples and thus were kept isolated from Muslim ally distinct of the three. influence that had so great an impact on the culture of the surrounding regions. When Basque Distinctions Franco hoped to minimize the differences among the Spanish people and establish a Several types of evidence suggest that the stronger state by suppressing the country’s var- Basques have lived relatively isolated in the ious languages, cultures, and groups in the northeastern corner of Spain for centuries. twentieth century, the Basques were one of the These people are culturally different from their staunchest resisters to his efforts. Euskara was Spanish neighbors on several levels: physical- banned, intellectuals were imprisoned and tor- ly, linguistically, and historically. Physically, the tured, and the Basque fueros2 were revoked Basque people are generally taller than the aver- under Franco’s “unification” effort. (“Who...”) age Spaniard, with a more muscular appearance and distinctive facial characteristics. (Hooper, 2Fueros are historic provisions granted by the Spanish p. 387) As their antigen pattern (predominant- federal government that had allowed the Basques to enjoy ly type A) and Rhesus count (Rh–) indicate that a greater degree of autonomy than many of the other Spanish regions. Responsibilities such as tax collection and they are of a strong European and Westerly ori- military conscription were allowed to be handled by the gin, serology also presents a good argument for Basque government rather than controlled by the Spanish the Basque people to have lived in their present government. 98 This persecution of their freedoms, culture, and The Birth of ETA language only infuriated the Basque people. As a result, rather than bringing the unity he True to the Basque hallmark of resistance desired, Franco’s cultural and political perse- and in conjunction with the growth of nation- cution resulted in the polar opposite — a cul- alism, a movement sprang up against Franco tural backlash and an explosion of ethnic pride. and the injustices against the Basque people. In It is worth noting that while Franco’s 1959 a group of young activist students from actions may have led to the growth of Basque the Spanish provinces of Vizcaya and identity, the formation of Basque nationalism Guipuzkoa became displeased with the appar- can be attributed almost entirely to Sabino de ent inaction of the leading political party (the Arana Goiri (1865–1903). (Flynn, p. 105) In the moderate Basque National Party [PNV]). latter part of the 1800s, Arana devoted himself Organizing themselves to stand against to promoting Basque nationalism; not only was Franco’s dictatorship, this group formed the he responsible for organizing the Basque cause, political party/nationalist group EKIN. EKIN but he also designed the national flag, wrote the soon took a more radical approach and within national anthem, and revived Euskara and a few years evolved into ETA. (“Basque shaped it into the language it is today. With Homeland...”) such an impact, it should come as no surprise Decades later, ETA still remains true to its that Arana’s views formed the ideological basis dual purpose: to claim “an independent home- for Basque nationalism. (Flynn, p. 105) Arana’s land for the Basque people in the Basque views soon increased in popularity. By the end region,” and to gain “self-determination in the of the Spanish Civil War and the start of form of a socialist Basque state.” (“Terrorist Franco’s regime, the Basques had grown to see Group...”) It is important to note that the themselves as increasingly Basque and decreas- Autonomous Community of the Basque ingly Spanish. Franco’s actions only hastened Country, or Euskadi, in Spain is not considered this identification, and within decades surveys by Basques, including ETA, to be the sole extent of the Basque people reported that 60 percent of the “Basque region.” Euskadi, rather, is only of the population considered themselves as only part of the Euskadi Herria, “the Basque Basque, while 24 percent felt a dual Basque- Homeland.” (“Euskal...”) According to the offi- Spanish identity, and only 13 percent saw them- cial Basque Country website, the Euskadi selves primarily as Spanish. (Conversi, p. 160) Herria, shown in Figure 1, is the true extent of Figure 1 Map of Euskadi Herria Source: Richburg. 99 Basque territory and consists of seven herri- attacks. (“U.S....”) aldes, or districts, located at the western end of This rise in violence was not due to any the Pyrenees on the Bay of Biscay (“Euskal...”).