Engaging with Terror: Understanding the Politically Violent 27 July 2005  Three weeks after the July attacks on London, an audience of 250 people gathered at the Royal Court Theatre for a seminar organized by Conciliation Resources and Peace Direct. 'Engaging with Terror: Understanding the Politically Violent' offered a rare chance for the public to talk to people once involved in armed political violence or resolving conflicts as mediators, combatants and hostages. A panel of speakers chaired by Peace Direct’s Dr. Scilla Elworthy included: Terry Waite, former adviser on international affairs to the Archbishop of Canterbury who now works on humanitarian issues and brings an understanding of militant groups after five years as a hostage in Lebanon David Ervine, former political prisoner and leader of the Progressive Unionist Party in Northern Ireland Mehmet Balci, former Kurdish activist and now programme director of the humanitarian organization Geneva Call, that works to engage armed groups to ban landmines. Ed Garcia, a senior conflict adviser at International Alert with over 30 years experience of working on peace processes around the world Celia McKeon, Conciliation Resources programme manager and series editor for the Accord publication, Choosing to engage: armed groups and peace processes Guest appearances were made by His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan of Jordon and Gabrielle Rifkind, an adviser to the Oxford Research Group. The event proved a timely and welcome opportunity for the audience to ask probing questions and debate the challenging issue of whether, and how, we can successfully engage armed groups in peace processes. Drawing from their own experiences, the speakers sought to explain why people make extreme choices to take up arms. They flagged the importance of dealing with the root causes of political, economic and social exclusion - powerful factors behind ordinary people turning to armed struggle - and the need for better understanding of armed groups. The point was made that engagement with armed groups can take many forms from low key and informal to substantive negotiations. Considerations should include who, when and on what issues to engage, rather than whether to engage at all.
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