Trust of demobilized combatants: Overcoming fear or becoming familiar?

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundOne critical challenge facing postconflict societies concerns the reintegration of former combatants as productive members of society. Public trust in the legitimacy of a peace agreement is a critical component of rebuilding the economic and social foundations of a war‐torn nation.ObjectivesWe argue that the levels of trust of former combatants and confidence in their effective demobilization depend on two critical features of the postconflict environment: fears of insecurity and community engagement.MethodWe focus our analysis on Colombia and utilize data from the Latin American Public Opinion Project to create a multivariate time‐series analysis of public trust in two groups—leftist rebels and rightist paramilitaries.ResultsWe find that both the fear of former combatants and the level of engagement individuals have in their communities help predict respondent attitudes about trust in former combatants and reintegration.ConclusionFear and familiarity are key determinants in reintegration of former combatants.