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This book is an effort to provide a more nuanced analysis of the LRA. Certainly, the group's endemic human rights violations receive considerable attention. Without understanding the types and extent of the abuses, the reasons for the widespread deep fears among the civilians in the LRA's areas of operations cannot be fully appreciated. Likewise, the peculiarities of the LRA's ideology must be assessed in order to describe how the group initially mobilized and recruited its members and how it continues to retain its voluntary members. There are, however, two main goals of this book. The first is to put the LRA in context. Although it might be easier -- and perhaps in some ways more comforting -- to view the LRA as uniquely violent, this simply is not accurate. As is hoped will be demonstrated, there is much more to the LRA than being a violent cult with unusual impact. Historical antecedents and the larger political and ethnic environment in Uganda helped create the conditions in which the LRA could be created. Also, although certainly with its own specific aspects, the forms of the LRA's ideology and organization are not unique among violent groups. Likewise, cultural and religious factors within Uganda and regional countries have a major impact on their internal stability. In many cases, religion (of several forms) has been a critical mobilizing and organizing tool for groups of potential security concern. Without understanding these factors, it is impossible to understand the LRA. The second goal is to assess the response to the LRA. Some of the misperceptions about the LRA in fact have shaped the responses, both regionally and internationally. Clearly, for a group that has survived for over 20 years, the adequacy of governmental responses has been a critical issue. In general, the response to the LRA by the affected countries has been military. Although the military tools have had some success in limiting LRA activities, they obviously have not eliminated the group. This in part has forced a greater emphasis on various peace negotiating strategies. The peace initiatives are given particular attention, largely because they help illustrate the seemingly endless complications in dealing with insurgent groups in complex security environments.