Reintegration of ex-combatants in a militarized society

Abstract

This article examines how the transition from soldier to civilian is affected by a militarised environment, relying on fieldwork conducted in Basra in the period following Iraq’s war with the Islamic State (2014–2017). The article begins by mapping community perceptions of militaristic behaviours and ideologies present within Basra society. It demonstrates that respondents distinguished different types of militarised behaviour and ideology, accepting or tolerating some while rejecting or denouncing others. The article then considers how these perceptions of militarisation affected community attitudes towards the reintegration of ex-combatants. We find that ‘acceptable’ forms of militarised behaviour and ideology were often described as consistent with the reintegration of ex-combatants, whereas the failure to reintegrate reflected ‘non-acceptable’ forms of militarised behaviour or ideology. This approach offers new insights to community-based DDR programming in militarised environments and points to a model of transformation grounded in local realities.