Abstract
ABSTRACT What are the driving forces behind the establishment of retired officer associations outside of the corporate military apparatus? This article presents novel insights into such autonomous retired military officer associations and makes a foundational contribution on a severely understudied topic in security studies. Drawing on qualitative field research in Tunisia, the article unpacks the emergence of retired military officer associations in that country and juxtaposes these findings with a comparative overview of veterans’ associations in the Global South. A global perspective supports insights from Tunisia: retired military officer associations enjoying institutional autonomy represent genuinely independent organisations for the representation of social group interests rather than extensions of the corporate military apparatus. Findings reveal how opportunities emerging from periods of political liberalisation explain the timing of the foundation of autonomous retired officer associations, while varied paths of officer socialisation during their military service explains these organisations’ different types of activities.
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