Pathways for Irregular Forces in Southeast Asia

An exploration of the roles that pro- and anti-government militias, private armed groups, vigilantes, and gangs play in local communities in the new democracies of Southeast Asia. Scholars have typically characterized irregular forces as spoilers and infiltrators in post-conflict peacebuilding processes. The contributors to this book challenge this conventional understanding of irregular forces in Southeast Asia, demonstrating that they often attract solid support from civilians and can be major contributors to the building of local security - a process by which local residents, in the absence of an effective police force, develop, partner or are at least included in the management of community crimes and other violence. They analyze irregular forces' dealings with political actors at the community level, explaining why and how forces are incorporated in and collaborate with legitimate institutions without using violence against them. Offering a new approach to dealing with irregular forces in Southeast Asia, contributors explore new theoretical frameworks that are better suited for evaluating irregular forces' relationship to different security providers and the political environments in the region. Specifically, they examine case studies from Indonesia, Timor-Leste, the Philippines, and Thailand. A valuable resource for researchers, students and practitioners in the areas of conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and security governance, especially those with a focus on Southeast Asia. This book will also be of great interest to scholars of the sociology and anthropology of the region.

Atsushi Yasutomi is Associate Professor at the Department of Social System Design, Eikei University of Hiroshima, Japan. Rosalie Arcala Hall is Professor of Political Science at the University of the Philippines Visayas. Saya Kiba is Associate Professor of Political Science at Kobe City University of Foreign Studies, Japan.

Introduction 1. Characterizing Irregular Forces 2. Pathways for Irregular Forces 3. Non-state Violence and Political Order in Democratized Indonesia 4. The Post-conflict Pathways of the Irregular Forces in Timor-Leste 5. The Grey Zone of Irregular Forces: Politically Sanctioned, Local Defense, and Organized Crime Groups in the Philippines 6. Between legal and legit: local security arrangements between state security actors and irregular forces in Bangsamoro region, Philippines 7. Frontline Informality: Paramilitary Forces and Progovernment Militias in Thailand's Deep South Counter-insurgency 8. Security Governance in Southeast Asia: Security Sector Reform with Nonstate Actors 9. Conclusion