Introduction Disarmament, demobilization and reinte- gration (DDR) initiatives occupy a central place in the imagination of peace, security and development experts. And over the past three decades, the expectations of what DDR can achieve have grown. Rather than being restricted to a discrete set of activities at war’s end, DDR is now pursued in the midst of full-fledged armed conflicts and settings gripped by gang, criminal and terrorist vio- lence. DDR is no longer the preserve of peacekeeping forces alone, but is routinely included in wider peace-building activities, counter-insurgency and stability operations, and in tandem with counter-terrorism and anti-crime measures (Ozerdem and Jacoby 2008; Muggah 2013, 2014a, 2014b). DDR has transformed from a carefully sequenced set of activities undertaken in the wake of negotiated peace deals to a widening clus- ter of measures that can include negotiating (and even implementing) the terms of peace itself. There are several reasons why the goal- posts are shifting and forcing an expansion Muggah, R and O’Donnell, C 2015 Next Generation Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration. Stability: International Journal of Security & Development, 4(1): 30, pp.1–12, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/sta.fs RESEARCH ARTICLE Next Generation Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Robert Muggah * and Chris O’Donnell † The process of disarming, demobilizing and reintegrating ex-soldiers at confict’s end is as old as war itself. The results of these eforts are far from even. Even so, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) has assumed a central place in the imagination of the peace, security and development communities. It is frequently advanced as a key pillar of multilateral and bilateral stabilization and reconstruction eforts at war’s end. Yet, the contexts in which DDR is conducted are also changing. As the United Nations and others grapple with the new geog- raphies of organized violence, it is hardly surprising that they are also adapting their approaches. Organizations operating in war zones (and also outside of them) are struggling to identify ways of ‘disengaging’ Al Shabaab in Somalia or northern Kenya, Jihadi fghters in Syria and Iraq, Taliban remnants in A fghanistan and Paki - stan, and Boko Haram militia in Nigeria. There are increasingly complex legal and operational challenges for those involved in DDR about when, how and with whom to engage. In order to efectively engage with these dilemmas, this article consid- ers the evolving form and character of DDR programs. In the process, it considers a host of opportunities and obstacles confronting scholars and practitioners in the twenty frst century, ofering insights on future trajectories. * Research Director, Igarapé Institute, Brazil robert@igarape.org.br † United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), United States odonnell1@un.org stability