From Bullets to Ballots in Muslim Mindanao: The New Challenge of Democratic Politics

The establishment of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is a key step to ending the four-decade-long insurgency in Mindanao in the southern Philippines. Zachary Abuza analyzes the context behind the party’s establishment as well as its likely composition, agenda,and leadership. But while a welcome development,the author cautions that many uncertainties, including the existence of potential spoilers, threaten to undermine the nascent rooting of democratic politics in the region.