From Militias to Political Parties: How and Why Do Armed Organizations Take Up Non - Violent Activism?

This study focuses on transitions from armed to unarmed political action, focusing on the academic definitions in use, causal variables, dynamic processes, and their implications for states. This paper frames the shifts to unarmed political activism within the trajectory of democratic transition, peacebuilding, civil-military relations, combating violent extremism, and combating "terrorism". The research is based on a study of twenty-six cases of transformation in twenty countries and represents a carefully selected sample from a wider global phenomenon. This study raises several questions: How and why do collective transformations from armed to unarmed activism happen and what are the conditions for initiating and sustaining these processes? What are the different trajectories of moving away from armed action? Does the transformation happen after a military victory, a military defeat, or a draw in an armed conflict between an insurgent group and an incumbent authority?

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This study focuses on transitions from armed to unarmed political action, focusing on the academic definitions in use, causal variables, dynamic processes, and their implications for states. This paper frames the shifts to unarmed political activism within the trajectory of democratic transition, peacebuilding, civil-military relations, combating violent extremism, and combating "terrorism". The research is based on a study of twenty-six cases of transformation in twenty countries and represents a carefully selected sample from a wider global phenomenon. This study raises several questions: How and why do collective transformations from armed to unarmed activism happen and what are the conditions for initiating and sustaining these processes? What are the different trajectories of moving away from armed action? Does the transformation happen after a military victory, a military defeat, or a draw in an armed conflict between an insurgent group and an incumbent authority?

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