Routledge Transforming Rebel Movements in Croatia and Macedonia: From Bullets to Ballots (Southeast European Studies)

The transition from war to democracy in countries such as South Africa, Sri Lanka, Mozambique, El Salvador and Cambodia have witnessed the transformation of former soldiers and rebel actions into political actors and parties. Exploring the electoral success of political parties formed by rebel groups, this book examines the role of the structural and symbolic legacies, and institutional patronage established during conflicts in this process. Comparing the paths taken by different ethnic groups in Croatia and Macedonia the author offers a comprehensive analysis of how the different rebel groups made the change from soldiers to politicians. Using empirical data from national and sub-national elections over the entire post-conflict period and gathered during extensive interviews with members of different ethnic groups, armed groups, political parties, civilians and journalists, the text explores the reconstruction of minority politics after ethnic conflicts and analyses the integration of former combatants into the political sphere. About the Author Dane Taleski received his PhD in Political Science (Magna Cum Laude) from the Central European University (CEU) in Budapest. He is a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Southeast European Studies at the University in Graz. His research interests include post-conflict democratization, transformation of rebel groups, political parties, ethnic politics and EU integration. His article, “Regulating Party Politics in the Western Balkans: On the Legal Sources of Party System Development in Macedonia” (co-authored with Fernando Casal Bértoa) was published in Democratization, and he has co-edited a research study “Monitoring Regional Cooperation in South East Europe” (FES: Berlin, 2013).