WAR NERD: How the IRA used Systems Disruption

  Well the authors got his facts wrong about what the IRA were after but I did read some reports at the time that the IRA were developing such tactics and it might be a factor why the government eventually made such concessions to them in the 'peace process'.  It possibly also raises doubts about whether a decisive victory could have been won over them, which I mentioned in response to Jame's post, see prevent-rise-extremist-parties-ulster.

  I'm not sure whether al Qaeda could make such a change as they would have to drastically change their aims, even more than the IRA did.  Their far more committed to destruction for its own sake and since their primary victims are people in poor countries in the ME there is a lot less sophisticated infrastructure to threaten or destroy.