the British goverment tried hard to defeat the IRA, but in a democracy especially one such as ours with high regard for individuals rights etc, terrorism can and will win. it is doing in Northern Ireland.
it was made especially difficult by the large amounts of money sent from the US to the terrorists, albeit not directly and by private citizens. but more could have been done by the US govn. that little was done was due mainly to the 40 million or so irish-american voters who had sympathy to the cause of a united ireland, and who donated cash to various dubious organisations..