NORAID should be allowed to exist in the US


Rachael Feldhausen
Global Politics of Terrorism
Professor Shirk
3/14/18
2) Do you think that groups like NORAID should exist in the United States?  Why or why not?
One of the the biggest aspects of democracy in America is the freedom of individuals to gather. In other words, any person(s) who wish to form a group or organization are allowed to do so, no matter the nature of the organization, with the sole exception of organizations plotting to or have committed an act considered illegal in the United States. Therefore, from a democratic standpoint, groups like NORAID. It would be undemocratic and against human liberty to restrict or put limitations on which groups can and cannot exist in the United States.
However, another aspect to consider is the fact that the main goal of NORAID is to supply the IRA with funds for which to buy weapons. The main interest of this group has nothing to do with the benefit of American citizens and may have actually hampered or could have hampered American trade relations with the United Kingdom. If that was the case than NORAID would be working directly against American interests. In addition, at the early stages of NORAID, most of the members were irish-born immigrants who actually mistrusted american-born irishmen. Some NORAID leaders would not even let American-born irishmen to be members of the group.
The question boils down to, if NORAID is an organization that acts against the interests of the the United States and is almost solely made up of immigrants, do the democratic values of America still hold? I argue, that the most important aspect of the united states is its respect and upholding of human liberty. Even American immigrants should be given this respect and rights, as, despite the fact that they were not born in the United States, they are still American citizens. Furthermore, one of the principal aspects of democracy is having a pluralist society. Society should be made up of different interests and ideas, and not all of these ideas should match  the aims and goals of the government. From these perspectives, despite seemingly against the interests of the United States groups like NORAID should be allowed to exist in America as America is a country that prides itself on the upholder of liberty and democracy.

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