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From Combatants to Peacebuilders: A case for inclusive, participatory and holistic security transitions
von Véronique Dudouet, Hans J. Giessmann und Katrin PlantaThe ‘war on terror’, launched by the US government and its allies in the wake of the September 11, 2001
attacks in New York and Washington, has profoundly transformed the geopolitical environment of the
past decade. In particular, the dominance of hard security approaches to inter- and intra-state conflicts
has led to a generalised interpretation of all forms of armed insurgencies that challenge the established
socio-political order being seen through the lens of ‘terrorism’, regardless of the nature of such actors, their
degree of social legitimacy or their political roles and aspirations. Such trends have severely affected not
only the dynamics of armed conflicts, but also the course of peace processes and post-war environments.
There has indeed been an increasing tendency to view all armed actors as ‘spoilers’ to be fought at all costs
or, at best, pacified through disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR), rather than as agents
of change who can play constructive roles in securing peace and building more legitimate states.
Against this background, the purpose of this report is to present key policy-relevant findings from a
two-year participatory research project on the timing, sequencing and components of post-war security
transitions, from the perspective and self-analysis of conflict stakeholders who have made the shift from
being state challengers to being peace- and state-building agents in South Africa, Colombia, El Salvador,
Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Burundi, Southern Sudan, Nepal and Aceh. Unless otherwise stated, the
empirical data presented here is based on thematic case studies, which were written by local teams made
up of researchers and former combatants, and which were collected and analysed in an edited volume
published in parallel with this report (Dudouet, Giessmann and Planta 2012). Any unattributed citations
stem from the book.
There is increasing acknowledgement within the peacebuilding policy and research communities
that DDR and security sector reform (SSR) are mutually dependent and are in turn heavily conditioned
by their broader political environment. Building on this, the project sought to address the conditions
under which armed resistance/liberation movements (RLMs) generate and maintain the political will to
restore the state’s monopoly over the use of force and participate in post-war peacebuilding. It does so
by assessing the interconnections between individual, organisational and structural transitions in the
spheres of security and political governance. This report presents the main conclusions of this research
process, as well as their implications for international efforts to support inclusive, participatory, holistic
and sustainable post-war transitions. It focuses less on the negotiation of peace agreements – which was
addressed more specifically in previous reports (Dudouet 2008, 2009) – than on the factors conducive to
their effective implementation. Drawing comparative lessons from nine cases of successful war-to-peace
transitions, it aims to identify common findings that can be generalised to various types of intra-state
armed conflicts and post-war contexts. At the same time, it also presents context-specific findings for
particular situations such as security transitions amidst an ongoing conflict (Colombia) or in contexts of
state formation (Southern Sudan, Kosovo).
The report is organised as follows: after compiling the main policy recommendations resulting from
the analysis, it presents the research background, some key definitions and the core problems at stake.
It then spells out thematic challenges, lessons learnt and policy recommendations (highlighted in boxes)
for managing volatile post-war transitions and building more legitimate, democratic and accountable
political and security institutions
attacks in New York and Washington, has profoundly transformed the geopolitical environment of the
past decade. In particular, the dominance of hard security approaches to inter- and intra-state conflicts
has led to a generalised interpretation of all forms of armed insurgencies that challenge the established
socio-political order being seen through the lens of ‘terrorism’, regardless of the nature of such actors, their
degree of social legitimacy or their political roles and aspirations. Such trends have severely affected not
only the dynamics of armed conflicts, but also the course of peace processes and post-war environments.
There has indeed been an increasing tendency to view all armed actors as ‘spoilers’ to be fought at all costs
or, at best, pacified through disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR), rather than as agents
of change who can play constructive roles in securing peace and building more legitimate states.
Against this background, the purpose of this report is to present key policy-relevant findings from a
two-year participatory research project on the timing, sequencing and components of post-war security
transitions, from the perspective and self-analysis of conflict stakeholders who have made the shift from
being state challengers to being peace- and state-building agents in South Africa, Colombia, El Salvador,
Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Burundi, Southern Sudan, Nepal and Aceh. Unless otherwise stated, the
empirical data presented here is based on thematic case studies, which were written by local teams made
up of researchers and former combatants, and which were collected and analysed in an edited volume
published in parallel with this report (Dudouet, Giessmann and Planta 2012). Any unattributed citations
stem from the book.
There is increasing acknowledgement within the peacebuilding policy and research communities
that DDR and security sector reform (SSR) are mutually dependent and are in turn heavily conditioned
by their broader political environment. Building on this, the project sought to address the conditions
under which armed resistance/liberation movements (RLMs) generate and maintain the political will to
restore the state’s monopoly over the use of force and participate in post-war peacebuilding. It does so
by assessing the interconnections between individual, organisational and structural transitions in the
spheres of security and political governance. This report presents the main conclusions of this research
process, as well as their implications for international efforts to support inclusive, participatory, holistic
and sustainable post-war transitions. It focuses less on the negotiation of peace agreements – which was
addressed more specifically in previous reports (Dudouet 2008, 2009) – than on the factors conducive to
their effective implementation. Drawing comparative lessons from nine cases of successful war-to-peace
transitions, it aims to identify common findings that can be generalised to various types of intra-state
armed conflicts and post-war contexts. At the same time, it also presents context-specific findings for
particular situations such as security transitions amidst an ongoing conflict (Colombia) or in contexts of
state formation (Southern Sudan, Kosovo).
The report is organised as follows: after compiling the main policy recommendations resulting from
the analysis, it presents the research background, some key definitions and the core problems at stake.
It then spells out thematic challenges, lessons learnt and policy recommendations (highlighted in boxes)
for managing volatile post-war transitions and building more legitimate, democratic and accountable
political and security institutions