Commanding Abuse or Abusing Command? : Ex-Command Structures and Drugs in Liberia

In contemporary discourses on post-war reconstruction in West Africa, ex-command structures are often assumed to play a key role in the drug economy. Such assertions have, however, not been systematically investigated. Based on in-depth field research in Liberia, this article holds that ex-command structures have not only played a limited role in the country’s drug economy, the use of and trade in drugs has had a destructive impact on ex-military networks. These findings highlight that rather than seeking to dismantle strong ex-command structures, efforts to combat the drug economy may benefit from integrating them into the statebuilding process. KEYWORDS: Ex-command structures, drugs, crime, disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration, Liberia, peacebuildin