ABSTRACT
For outsiders, the frequency with which Northern Ireland academics, journalists, and even the political actors themselves use the term ‘paramilitary’ can be somewhat irritating. In historical perspective, the expression has mostly been associated with auxiliary military forces that operate outside the institutional and legal framework that applies to a regular army. The best example is the so-called Black and Tans in the Anglo-Irish War of Independence (1919-1921). More recently, the term rose to prominence in the context of the conflict in Colombia, where the expression ‘paramilitary’ refers to ‘pro-state’ groups which aim to assist the central government in defeating its revolutionary opponents. In Northern Ireland, however, the term refers to all non-state organisations that use violence for political ends. Neither do they have to wear uniforms, nor is the term restricted to groups of a ‘pro-state’ orientation. Indeed, in Northern Ireland, the term ‘paramilitary’ is commonly used for groups which – in other contexts – would simply be referred to as ‘terrorist’.1
