Military Integration and Deradicalization of Former Combatants

• In Event: Reintegration after Civil Wars

Abstract

Does integration into the military facilitate deradicalization of former combatants? One aspect of post-civil war settlement involves the integration of former combatants into national militaries. In situations where society has been fractured by insurgent ideology fomenting the civil war, achieving post-civil war reconciliation and the integration of ex-combatants into the military becomes more challenging due to the enduring strength of these beliefs. The integration process into the military assumes ex-combatants will relinquish their previous convictions and undergo socialization into national military norms, including patriotism, upon reintegration. This research utilized interviews and experiments to examine former Maoist combatants in Nepal, aiming to investigate whether the reintegration effectively diminishes the ideological motivations of former combatants and accomplishes the socialization into national military norms.

Authors

• Michael Yekple, Bowdoin College

• Zlatin Mitkov, North Carolina State University

• Santosh Sapkota