From Soldiers to Politicians

"In the transition from war-torn society to stable multiparty democracy, what is the role of former rebel leaders? Can rebel movements effectively transform themselves from military into political organizations? From Soldiers to Politicians explores how militias succeed or fail in reorienting their goals and practices toward legitimate political activities, and how external actors can support the rebel-to-party transformation." "The authors present eight theoretically grounded studies on El Salvador, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Burundi, Palestine, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka, each focusing on a rebel movement's historical background, its attempted transformation into a political party, and the factors explaining its success or failure. Bridging the academic-policy divide, the country studies identify concrete lessons from past transformation processes, as well as options for future international involvement."--Jacket.