ABSTRACT
In the immediate aftermath of conflict, politics tends to be volatile, insecurity remains high, and state institutions are often very weak. Within this challenging context, many international donors hope that political parties will develop so that they can contribute to peaceful politics in the post-conflict period. Yet the post-conflict environment is usually not conducive to the development of political parties, although particular challenges vary from country to country. There are many different types of political parties in post-conflict countries, including parties that were formerly armed movements engaged in conflict. Indeed, the way in which former armed groups contribute to post-conflict governance is seen as a decisive factor in the success or failure of peacebuilding. If armed groups are not integrated into a new national army, transformed into political parties, or disbanded, the recurrence of violence is likely. Certainly, not all former armed movements will transform into political parties and not all post-conflict political parties have links to armed groups. Yet non-state armed groups are significant actors in post-conflict politics, whether or not they become formal political parties. As such, they have received attention within the larger peacebuilding literature. This synthesis provides a non-exhaustive review of the current literature on peacebuilding and post-conflict party development, with particular emphasis on the transformation of armed movements into political parties after conflict. The synthesis is divided into four parts. First, it briefly discusses the literature on post-conflict party development. Second, it reviews the particular challenges facing the transformation of armed movements to political parties. Third, the synthesis assesses the role of international actors in the process of rebel group transformation and discusses why international programs have not always had their desired effect. Lastly, this study makes some suggestions for policymakers, arising from the insights of this research.
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