Germany's red army faction: An obituary

Abstract

The author believes that an April 1992 cease‐fire communique issued by the Red Army Faction (RAF), a German terrorist group, marks the end of the RAF as a viable terrorist group. This communique, and subsequent ones in June and August 1992, reflect the ideological fatigue, strategic confusion, and organizational isolation of the RAF. These communiques are also symptomatic of the decline of the European fighting communist terrorist groups that have plagued Western Europe since the late 1960s. In 1985, there were nine fighting communist terrorist organizations operating in Western Europe. As of late 1992, with the surrender of the RAF, there are only three left: the First of October Anti‐Fascist Resistance Group in Spain, the Revolutionary Organization 17 November in Greece, and the Revolutionary Left or Dev Sol in Turkey. All three have become the last representatives of an endangered species of terrorist group.