The Ulster Defence Association/Ulster Freedom Fighters is an umbrella pro-Unionist (i.e., Protestant) paramilitary group that was more or less the counterpart to the Catholic IRA.

When I visited Belfast in 1994, the city felt very ill-at-ease, and police patrolled the streets in what looked like military-style armored personnel carriers.

When I returned in 2002, the city seemed to be doing much better. There was lots of new construction, more shops were open, and I didn't see nearly as much factional graffiti. But the police were still driving the APCs.

I was in a rush to get to the airport on a deserted Sunday afternoon, and after 30 minutes with no sign of a taxi, I flagged a passing police vehicle down to ask for advice. It ground to a halt and a hatch slowly opened, revealing an officer in full body armor who warily eyed me and my giant backpack. Once he heard my decidedly non-Irish accent, though, he was all smiles.