Of course, not all groups are dependent on mass support, and many deliberately try to provoke government repression so as to increase the likelihood that they will attract recruits. They may also be able to cause a great deal of damage and suffering in the short run. Yet in the absence of some minimal level of public sympathy, there is nowhere for members to hide, and it is difficult to operate effectively over time. A group may endure, but without demonstrated progress toward its goal, the weight of history is against it: a group’s ideology may be overtaken by events, its supporters may be
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