Ex-Combatants and Violence: Are Yesterday’s Villains Today’s Principal Threat?

Author(s): Enzo Nussio
Journal Title: Third World Thematics (online first)
Series: Special Issue: War economies and postwar crime
Reviewed:  
Pages: 135-152
Publisher(s): Taylor & Francis online
Publication Year: 2018

Through in-depth interviews and surveys, this paper reviews the threat posed by ex-combatants in Colombia. It contends that despite the portrayal of ex-combatants as a security threat, the evidence from Colombia shows that these individuals are not destined for a life of violence as they become less interested in risk-taking activities over time. The article also addresses common concerns about the involvement of ex-combatants in post-conflict violence by highlighting 1) how rank-and-file members of remobilized organizations often consist of new generations of recruits; and 2) that participation of ex-combatants in violence is too small to unsettle overall criminal dynamics.

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