Diaspora Politics and Transnational Political Violence

Tibetans are the best example of a diaspora that is very politically active but not violent, or at least outwardly violent in a different way. The situation in Tibet remains unresolved and the situation of Tibetans living in India is highly problematic, yet they have not resorted to violence in the same kind of way as other diasporas might have. Through their own engagement with their personal and spiritual beliefs, they see self-immolation as an act of the last resort. However, it seems like the world accepts this kind of violence because it does not involve physical harm to the masses. Of course, we might be saddened by it, but we do not struggle against it in the same way as, for example, we struggle with the Tamil diaspora in Sri Lanka that is engaged in evident terrorism. However, what is crucial to understand is that as long as the situation in Tibet remains unresolved, this diaspora will still remain politically active.

This episode discusses the patterns of radicalization of ordinary citizens during the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the role of various political actors involved in legitimizing the use of political violence by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (referred to as the IRA for greater simplicity) in the eyes of the public. It presents the main roots of the conflict of political loyalties, which is a complicated struggle fought along national, ethnic and religious lines with the prevailingly protestant Loyalists or Unionists wanting to remain part of the United Kingdom and the prevailingly catholic Nationalists or Republicans wanting the re-unification of Ireland. The Troubles are discussed in an interview with Mr Jude Collins, a former hight-school teacher in Derry and Dublin and lecturer at the University of Ulster. Please see the references of this episode here.

This podcast is a story of Irish America during an exciting time both in Irish and American history. While “The Troubles” were raging in Northern Ireland, USA was experiencing the end of the “melting pot” and the beginning of “cultural mosaic”. Irish-America was one of the groups at the forefront of this transformation and made their presence felt on "The Troubles". Hence, this podcast is an attempt to paint a clearer and more colorful picture of Irish-America and its identity, going beyond treating it simply as a financier of Provisional IRA. It is a podcast about Irish-America and its diversity facing a highly contentious and politically charged situation at “home”. It is also a  podcast about a diaspora and its homeland, and all the dynamics of that relationship. By the end of it, you will find out in what ways did Irish-America mobilize during "The Troubles", what was the determining factor in opting out for one or the other way of political action, how it compared to Irish and Northern Irish in political thinking of the time, and where it stands today.

In this short introduction to the series Mate Nikola Tokić, Humanities Initiative Visiting Professor at Central European University’s Department of International Relations, talks about the six episodes produced in his class and the way in which podcasting disrupts teaching and learning with excellent results.

How does the absence of a generally accepted definition on terrorism, codified under international law, affect national policies that target diasporas in host states? The attempt to develop one generally accepted and overall recognized definition of terrorism sparked a heated debate within the international community and the academia. Until February 2018, 14 major international conventions regarding terrorism have been concluded and came into force, without a single and clear definition of what terrorism entails. This absence of a single definition can enable states to adopt different ‘abusive’ policies and legislations, targeting specific actors or groups in the society under the official banner of fighting terrorism. This becomes particularly relevant when it is linked to diaspora communities, as they generally become the first targets of such restrictive policies and legislation. This episode analyzes this problematic in an interview with Prof. Boldizsár Nagy, an expert in international law. The central argument proposed here is that the failure of the international community to develop a single definition of terrorism, and an international counter-terrorism regime compatible with human rights, might actually be one of the reasons which enables states to adopt arbitrary policies that marginalize and stigmatize diasporas in host states.

On September 16, 1920, an explosion rocked the financial district in New York City; it was the deadliest terrorist attack in the United States up to that point, and would remain so for seventy-five years. The culprit was an Italian anarchist immigrant, and he was part of one of the greatest enemies of the United States government in the early part of the 20th century. Italians came to the United States in massive numbers. What drove some of their cohort to engage in violent acts against the state? What was it about anarchism as an ideology that made it so attractive to Italian immigrants at the time? And what would an anarchist picnic look like? The Italian immigrant anarchist experience goes far beyond that of the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti, and offers important lessons for a greater understanding of the nature of transnational political violence.