ABSTRACT

There appears to be an emerging consensus on the normative parameters of DDR.2 Notwithstanding the UN’s preoccupation with enhancing national ownership, comprehensive frameworks and community inclusiveness, newly minted standards still cast DDR as a short-term stand-alone initiative rather than a longterm strategic interaction. Moreover, standards such as the IDDRS tend to emphasize enabling frameworks and bureaucratic structures rather than the dynamics of mobilization or the often dynamic requirements of peace-building. Such guidelines tend to focus more on the (admittedly vital) mechanics of programming than on projected outcomes. Likewise, as noted in the Introduction, conventional approaches adopted by international agencies frequently privilege economic incentives and the promotion of livelihoods and side-step tricky questions related to politics. This chapter contends that narrowly defined approaches to DDR can unintentionally sideline complex interests held by an array of stakeholders (from states to private entrepreneurs) thereby undermining their potential role to aid (or hinder) the enterprise.