Escaping the LRA

Examining the Decision to Disengage from Militarized Dissident Groups

Bibliographic Data

ID12976316
AuthorsJohn Riley (0000-0001-9644-0649, United States Air Force Academy, corresponding author), Kristin Pearson (United States Air Force Academy), Mary Kate Schneider (0000-0003-2623-4764, Loyola University Maryland), Lindsey Stimeling (United States Air Force Academy)
Year2017
Volume10
Issue2
Pages80-102
Publication date2017-03-13
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAfrican Security (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1939-2206 • E-ISSN: 1939-2214
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/19392206.2017.1305859
OpenAlexW2597280308
LanguageEN
Citations received4

This study seeks to understand the conditions that led individuals to accept the risks associated with leaving the Lord’s Resistance Army. To this end, a large participant survey of former rebels was conducted. Results from the survey suggest that the investment model offers a useful tool for capturing the factors that weigh into an individual’s decision-making process as he or she considers disengaging from a group. However, the data also suggest that lack of investment does not equate to disengagement. The perceived opportunity for escape and the costs associated with the risk of escape play critical roles. Consequently, counterinsurgency campaigns and postconflict reconciliation efforts in Africa ought to be jointly calibrated to maximize the likelihood of disengagement

Disengagement theory · Economics · Investment (military · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Resistance (ecology · Survey data collection · Health and Conflict Studies · Law · Peacebuilding and International Security · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · Psychology · Social Psychology

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