Demobilizing Irregular Forces

Eric Y. Shibuya is Associate Professor of Strategic Studies at the Command and Staff College, Marine Corps University, Quantico, Virginia.

"An excellent primer to DDR, perhaps even the best available."—LSE Review of Books"This book examines in fascinating detail a neglected aspect of post-conflict peacebuilding: how to disarm, demobilize, and reintegrate armed groups back into civil society. Eric Shibuya makes a valuable contribution to the literature of unconventional conflict that should be the subject of discussion for years to come."—Tom Mockaitis, DePaul University"Written in a concise, easy-to-understand manner, and illustrated with several disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) case studies that highlight the importance of social/cultural contexts and flexibility at the psychological and operational levels, Demobilizing Irregular Forces will be essential reading for students in graduate and undergraduate courses as well as in professional military schools."—Mohan Malik, Asia-Pacific Centre for Security Studies"In this excellent study Eric Shibuya reminds us that for effective disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration, and for successful peacekeeping in post-conflict situations, the strategies and processes adopted by interveners must be both active and mutually reinforcing. DDR cannot be successfully undertaken without appreciation of political culture, local fighting traditions, or the identity of militants. Shibuya's findings resonate across the broad Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa, and also in the little-comprehended conflicts of the Pacific Islands; for example, in the Solomon Islands and Bougainville."—David Hegarty, Australian National University"A well-researched study on the important subject of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR). Covers considerable ground and ranges across Africa through Asia to the Middle East and Latin America. This will be a valuable introductory book."—Michael Evans, Australian Defence College"Shibuya provides a fresh look at the DDR process; emphasising psychological and cultural underpinnings of successful DDR programmes."—Central European Journal of International and Security Studies"Shibuya's main contribution is a clear articulation of how the individual components of DDR fit into the overall process. He is also adept at portraying the various underlying motivations involved, including social and psychological aspects of DDR such as the role of hopes and experiences." (Human Rights Review, 2015)

• Acknowledgements page vii1 Introduction 12 The History and Evolution of DDR 113 Disarmament: The Ephemeral Beginning 244 Demobilization: The Real Heart of the Matter 545 Reintegration: The End of the Beginning 856 Challenges and Conclusions 117Notes 140Bibliography 156Index 165