Publications

Books 

(2023) The effects of rebel parties on governance, democracy and stability after civil wars: From guns to governing. London: Routledge (co-edited with John Ishiyama) 

Synopsis: This book provides a systematic overview and in-depth analysis of the effects of rebel group inclusion on democracy following the end of conflict across the globe. It examines different types of rebel groups, addressing the subject matter through the lens of three dimensions – democracy, stability and governance – which structure the book and the individual chapters. As such, it affords a rare opportunity to bring together two heretofore separate research traditions – conflict studies and political parties.

(2023) Routledge Handbook of Political Parties. London: Routledge (co-edited with Carter, Neil, Keith, Dan, Sindre and Vasilopolou, Sofia) 

Description: The Routledge Handbook of Political Parties provides a systematic and comprehensive overview of the study of political parties provided by leading experts in the field. In an era of widespread political disillusionment, political parties are often the main targets of citizen dissatisfaction, yet they are the key institutions that make democracy work. Analysing political parties in unrivalled depth and breath, with comparative thematic chapters throughout, as well as a dedicated section on political parties and party politics in specific country and regional settings, this handbook examines and illuminates the key questions around: how parties organise; how their ideologies have evolved over time; their relationship with society; how they differentiate themselves and how they respond to new social, economic, and political developments. The Routledge Handbook of Political Parties is essential reading and an authoritative reference for scholars, students, researchers and practitioners involved in and actively concerned about research in the study of political parties, party systems, and party politics.

Journal Special Issues 

(2019) Special Issue: Transforming State Visions: Ideology and Ideas in Armed Groups Turned Political Parties. Government and Opposition 54 (3) and the wider special collection What happens to ideas and ideologies in armed groups turned political parties. See here for video introducing the special issue! (co-edited with Devon Curtis) 

(2016) Special Issue: Understanding Armed Groups and Party Politics. Civil Wars 18(2).  (co-edited with Johanna Söderström) 

Journal articles

(2019) Transforming state visions: Ideology and ideas in armed groups turned political parties . Government and Opposition 54

Abstract: How do the visions of the state articulated by armed movements during conflict change when they become political parties after war? We show that ideas about the state are often central to the strategies and direction of these new parties, but there is variation in the extent to which these ideas have changed. The first part of this article shows why a focus on former rebel parties provides valuable insights into the role of ideas in post-war politics. The second part draws on the literatures on civil wars and political parties to highlight their relevance for former rebel parties. The third part provides a framework for understanding the variation in the role of ideology in former rebel parties, by focusing on ideological content and explanations of post-war ideological continuity and change. This part also introduces the other articles in the special issue and wider collection. Finally, we discuss the effects of these ideologies when they encounter other logics of post-war politics.

(2019) Adapting to peacetime politics? Rebranding and ideological change in former rebel parties, Government and Opposition 54(3), link to Read-Only Open Access). IDEOLOGY G&O_Preprint Accepted  

Abstract: How do rebel groups turned political parties adapt their ideological profiles after war? Do they continue to mobilize along the main conflict cleavage or do they adopt new issues that are conducive to peace? This article develops an analytical framework that captures the extent to which parties adapt along two dimensions: conflict cleavage issues and peacebuilding issues. It conducts a qualitative content analysis of party manifestos and related discourse of three former rebel parties with backgrounds as secessionist rebel groups: the Aceh Party, the Serb Democratic Party (Bosnia Herzegovina) and the Tamil National Alliance. It finds that while some parties adopt the language of peace settlements to legitimize themselves and actively downplay wartime divisions, others continue to seek support based on ethnic differentiation. It is argued that the programmatic message that former rebel groups mobilize around has implications for how they contribute to forging more peaceful inter-ethnic relations after war.

(2018) From secessionism to regionalism: Intra-organizational conflict and ideological moderation within armed secessionist movements. Political Geography 64. pp. 23-32 OPEN ACCESS! 

(2016) Understanding armed groups and party politics, Civil Wars 18 (2) 109-117 (with Johanna Söderström) 

Abstract: Political parties with an armed history are not unusual, yet how these groups function in politics after the transition has largely been ignored. This special issue examines armed groups in party politics, using single and comparative case studies. The introduction forwards five recommendations for future research: (1) We need to see more comparisons across taken for granted boundaries; (2) the consequences for democracy should figure more prominently in our analysis of armed groups; (3) think more critically about standards and conceptual tools; (4) critically examine the interaction between levels of analysis; and (5) methodological pluralism would enrich the field.

(2016) In whose interests? Former rebel parties and ex-combatant interest group mobilization in Aceh and East Timor, Civil Wars 18 (2) 192-213 

Abstract: An important factor shaping rebel-to-party transformations and post-conflict party governance pertains to how these groups relate to their former rank and file. While drawing on veterans of the war provides for stable source of support and organisational stability for the former rebel parties, ex-combatants may also pose challenges to such parties as they expect continued political influence, material rewards and social recognition for their contribution to the armed group. By identifying ex-combatants as a distinct interest group this argues that party-ex-combatant interaction directly shapes intra-party dynamics as well as policy formulation. Focusing on former rebel parties and ex-combatant interest group mobilisation in Aceh and East Timor, and this articles asks: How does rebel group mobilisation affect how former rebel parties mobilise political support? How do parties address and integrate demands made by ex-combatants?

(2016) Internal party democracy in former rebel parties in Party Politics 22(4) pp. 501-511. Accepter version:  Sindre_Party Politics 2016A

Abstract: Intraparty democracy is considered an important feature of former rebel movements’ adaptation to democracy more generally. What conditions intraparty democracy in former rebel parties? This article traces internal debates about and organizational adaptation to intraparty democracy in Partai Aceh (Indonesia) and Fretilin (East Timor), paying specific attention to the interaction between party leaderships and the wider rebel organization. Leaning on theories of party change and organization, the article finds that even in the presence of formal procedures that prescribe inclusive decision-making, the nature and persistence of decentralized wartime command structures and relative strength and dependence on these networks limits intraparty democracy.

(2014) Rebels and aid in the context of peacebuilding and humanitarian disaster: A comparison of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE), Forum for Development Studies, 41(1), pp. 1-21. 

Abstract: Development aid and humanitarian assistance are increasingly subject to conditionalities aimed to secure progress in peace talks and curb rebel predatory behaviour. Comparing how Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Aceh and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka strategised on the basis of aid before and after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami disaster, this article shows that rebel leaderships use peace negotiations to push for control over the administration of aid as a means to expand their governance capacities as de facto state actors. I argue that while peace conditionalities may encourage peace talks and ceasefires that provide space for humanitarian assistance to reach those in need, it is a poor tool to curb rebel predatory behaviour and encourage peace settlements. Yet, as is illustrated by the GAM case, conditionalities may have positive effects on long-term peace in the immediate post-settlement phase. The findings suggest that at this stage of the peacebuilding process, inclusion of rebels into the formal aid bureaucracy may work to encourage the transformation of militarist structures to secure political stability.

(2012) Civic engagement and democracy in Post-Suharto Indonesia: A review of Musrenbang, the Kecamatan Development Program and labour organising, Sindre_PCD 2012, 4 (1) (Open Source!!).

Abstract: Drawing attention to the wider literature on the linkages between civic engagement and democracy, this paper starts off by asking the question whether civic engagement beyond formal politics actually serves to strengthen democracy in Indonesia. Noting a contradiction between the literature that proposes that high associational density fosters democracy and recent analysis that highlights that political opportunity structures in Indonesia are unfavourable to popular representation and participation, the paper draws attention to a largely underexplored field within Indonesian democracy studies, namely that of mobilisation and participation by marginalised groups. The paper discusses and analyses strategies for bottom-up mobilisation, specifically the development planning programmes of Musrenbang, the Kecamatan Development Programme (KDP), and Indonesian labour organising. The analysis focuses on the democratising aspects of these sectors, arguing that participation and mobilisation lacks the necessary popular foundations as well as organisational capacities that are necessary for participatory institutions to effectively enhance democracy. The paper thereby hints that associational density in and of itself is a poor indicator for democracy, especially in relation to democratic consolidation in new democracies.

Sindre, Gyda M. (2009) Conflict resolution and democratization in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami: A comparative study of Aceh and Sri Lanka, Power, Conflict, and Democracy 1 (1),  with Kristian Stokke and Olle Törnquist PCD_2010 (Open source!!)

Book chapters (peer reviewed) 

(2023) Ch 28 ‘Post-conflict political parties’ in Carter, N., Keith, D., Sindre, G.M. and Vasilogouplou, S. Routledge Handbook of Political Parties. London: Routledge (with Carrie Manning)

(2023) ‘Balancing patronage and popular democracy: Rebel group inclusion and the impact on democracy in Southeast Asia’ Ch 3 in Ishiyama, John and Sindre, Gyda M. (eds.) The effects of rebel parties on governance, democracy, and stability after civil wars: From guns to governing. London: Routledge

(2023) ‘Introduction: Rebel group inclusion and democratisation’, Ch 1 in Ishiyama, John and Sindre, Gyda M. (eds.) The effects of rebel parties on governance, democracy, and stability after civil wars: From guns to governing. London: Routledge (with John Ishiyama)

(2023) ‘Conclusion: Towards a there of rebel to party transformation’, Ch 16 in Ishiyama, John and Sindre, Gyda M. (eds.) The effects of rebel parties on governance, democracy, and stability after civil wars: From guns to governing. London: Routledge (with John Ishiyama)

(2021) Peace and Conflict Studies Fieldwork: Gatekeepers, in Brett, Roddy; Roger MacGinty and Birte Vogel, The Companion to Peace and Conflict Fieldwork. London: Routledge

(2017) Indonesia: Dynamics of regime change. Ch 20 in Burnell, Peter, Lise Rakner and Vicky Randall (eds.) Politics in the Developing World, 5th ed., pp. 300-310

(2015) Indonesia: Neoliberal development in the context of decentralised patronage politics Ch 8 in Hansen, Arve and Wethal, Ulrikke (eds.), Emerging Economies and Challenges to Sustainability: Theories, strategies, and local realities. New York: Routledge. 

(2011): Dari perlawanan bersenjata menuju partisipasi politik: transformasi politik GAM. Ch. 5 in Aceh: Peran demokrasi bagi perdamaian dan rekonstruksi, PCD Press.

(2010) From political exclusion to Inclusion: The political transformation of GAM, Chapter 5 in Törnquist et.al. (eds.) Aceh: The Role of Democracy for Peace and Reconstruction, Singapore: PCD Press.

Policy reports

Cho, J., Curtis, D., Dugout, V., Malm, J., Sindre, G., and Söderberg Kovacs, M. (Eds.) (2022) The political dynamics of DDR Research brief series co-published by the Folke Bernadotte Academy, the PAW-Network and UNDPO/OROLSI DDR Section.

Cho, J., Curtis, D., Dugout, V., Malm, J., Sindre, G., and Söderberg Kovacs, M. (2022) The political dynamics of DDR: Key research findings. Joint brief series: The political dynamics of DDR. Stockholm: Folke Bernadotte Academy, PAW and UNDPO/OROLSI DDR Section.

Cho, Jacqui and Sindre, Gyda (2022) Ideological moderation in armed groups turned political parties. Joint brief series: The political dynamics of DDR. Stockholm: Folke Bernadotte Academy, PAW and UNDPO/OROLSI DDR Section.

Sindre, Gyda (2021) Case study of the Aceh peace process: Inclusion, participation and representation. Principles for Peace/Interpeace.

Caspersen, Nina and Sindre, Gyda (2020) Supporters, Spoilers or Side-lined? The role of parliaments in peacebuilding. Westminster Foundation for Democracy.