In December 1971, at the outset of “the Troubles” in Northern Ireland, Edward Heath’s then home secretary, Reginald Maudling, announced that the British government had managed to ensure that an “acceptable level of violence” had been achieved. Taken out of context, these awkward words—which essentially meant that civil war had been averted—were thrown back at … Continue reading John Bew at The New Republic: History’s Lessons for the Middle East