The GDR as a political process In countries where conflict has raged, but where political will has developed to work towards a state of being not violent, the GDR had a policy aimed at promoting the sustainable development of peace. Ana Cutter Patel writes that the GDR is integral to peacebuilding; seeks to disarm, demobilize and reintegrate former combatants to restore security which is one of the key components of peace. According to Sandra Pogodda et al. DDR is also part of a state-building practice, as the demobilization and disarmament of ex-combatants ensures the state's monopoly on the use of force. Intervening organizations practicing DDR, often but not exclusively the United Nations, are helping the government ensure security in the country. Should these interventions be considered political? This essay will argue that since DDR processes take on an important role in the political sphere of a country and influence the distribution of power by taking physical power away from rebel groups, the DDR process should be considered political. The organizations conducting the DDR will have their own interests and will directly influence the political will of a country. Furthermore, lasting demobilization will likely depend on the distribution of political and socioeconomic power, which will be assessed by the DDR, being closely linked development processes. Since there is no consensus on what is political, it is important to establish the definition of political processes, so that DDR as a practice can be measured as political or not. Amitai Etzioni has successfully developed a workable definition of political processes, stating that political processes are "processes [that] are about bridging power differences with society with...... middle of paper...... Democratic Republic of the Congo 12-14 June 2007. http://www.un.org/africa/osaa/speeches/overview.pdf (accessed 19 May 2014). Patel, Ana Cutter “Transitional justice, DDR and reform of ICTJ security sector". http://ictj.org/sites/default/files/ICTJ-DDR-SSR-ResearchBrief-2010-English.pdf (accessed 18 May 2014). Pogodda, Sandra, Oliver Richmond, Nathalie Tocci , Roger Mac Ginty and Birte Vogel. “Assessing the Impact of EU Governmentality in Post-Conflict Countries: Peacemaking or Reconciliation?”. European Security (2014): 1-23. second generation in peace operations: a contribution to the discussion on a new horizon on the challenges and opportunities for UN peacekeeping." United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations. http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/documents/2GDDR_ENG_WITH_COVER.pdf (accessed May 19, 2014).