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Hum Rights Rev (2015) 16:311312 DOI 10.1007/s12142-015-0370-6
BOOK REVIEW
Demobilizing Irregular Forces by Eric Y. Shibuya
Cambridge and Malden: Polity Press, 2012
William A. Taylor1
Published online: 9 June 2015# Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015
In Demobilizing Irregular Forces, Eric Y. Shibuya explores the vital but difficult process of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR). This work should prove useful for scholars and analysts interested in DDR specifically and the transition from conflict to peace generally. Shibuyas purpose is to highlight the contextual and cultural variables that contribute to effective DDR programs. He explores the component stages of DDR individually, assesses their importance to the overall progression toward peace, and argues for the primacy of reintegration as Bthe key aspect^ of success (7).
Shibuya utilizes a wide array of sources to support his work. He scrutinizes government documents, reports of non-governmental organizations, working papers of human rights groups, scholarly books, and journal articles. He also includes extensive notes, a useful bibliography, and a brief index. Methodologically, Shibuya departs from the traditional exploration of DDR within a specific case-study, arguing that Bthere is some analytical clarity to be gained by focusing on each part of the DDR process in isolation^(6). He relates individual components and the overall procedure to various case studies such as Afghanistan, Columbia, East Timor, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Kosovo, Liberia, Mozambique, Nepal, Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, and Sierra Leone, among others.
Shibuya organizes his work into six thematic chapters. In the introductory first chapter, he surveys the contemporary...