SELECTIVITY
ALTHOUGH everyone unites in horror at terrorism in general, all countries are selective in the terrorism which they really care about. Britain, for instance, harbours many Sikh extremists without giving the matter much thought. America harbours Irish terrorists. And although the US government has unambiguously supported the extradition treaty with Britain now struggling in the Senate, many senators who have no qualms about bombing Libya become highly constitutional, legalistic and evasive when America's main ally asks for the men who are killing her citizens. The Reaganites in the Senate propose an inge- nious way of outmanoeuvring the Irish lobby. They want to tie the Northern Irish aid package which follows the Anglo-Irish Agreement to the extradition treaty so that it will be impossible to support the one without the other. It is very important for Anglo-American relations that this ploy succeeds, for the strange fact is that at present America contains more anti- British terrorists than does Libya. But if it fails, we shall not advocate the bombing of Boston.
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