State collusion with Loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland 1968-98

This research will explore collusion between the security forces and Loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland during the 1968-98 conflict. It will consider the significance of counterinsurgency strategies developed through experience of colonial counterinsurgency, and will address the controversial question of whether collusion was part of a widespread strategy tacitly approved by senior politicians, or the result of the actions of a few 'bad apples' within the security forces. Using documents from archives, secondary sources, and interviews, it will triangulate information to investigate the complex grey area between individual actions and formal conspiracy.