Civil War and Democracy in West Africa ─ Conflict Resolution, Elections and Justice in Sierra Leone and Liberia

In the aftermath of explosive civil wars in Africa during the 1990s and 2000s, the establishment of multi-party elections has often been heralded by the West as signaling the culmination of the conflict and the beginning of a period of democratic rule. However, the outcomes of these elections are very rarely uniform, with just as many countries returning to conflict as not. Here, David Harris uses the examples of Sierra Leone and Liberia to examine the nexus of international and domestic politics in these post-conflict elections. In doing so, he comes to the conclusion that it is political, rather than legal, solutions that are more likely to enhance any positive political change that has emerged from the violence. This book is thus of significance to Western and African policy makers, and also to students and scholars who wish to engage with the critical issues of conflict resolution and reconciliation both in Sierra Leone and Liberia in particular and in the wider region in general.

David Harris is Senior Teaching Fellow in the Department of Politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. He holds a PhD in African Politics from SOAS, and has conducted extensive fieldwork and been a member of several Election Observation Delegations in both Sierra Leone and Liberia.