Blair's Successful War

Blair's Successful War
Author: Dr Andrew M Dorman
Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
Total Pages: 174
Release: 2013-03-28
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1409499367

Andrew Dorman introduces Sierra Leone as Blair's second great military adventure after Kosovo and the first he undertook on his own. It is tied to Blair's 1999 Chicago speech on the 'Doctrine of the International Community', his move towards humanitarianism and the impact of the Kosovo experience. The book links this move with the rise of cosmopolitan militaries and the increasing involvement of Western forces in humanitarian operations and their impact on the international system. Furthermore, it places it within the context of defence transformation and the emerging Western expeditionary capabilities, in particular the European Union's new battle group concept and developments in concepts such as Network Centric Warfare and Networked Enabled Capability. Examining the whole campaign and considering the impact on the Blair Government, this book will prove to be a key reader on the topic.

Military Interventions in Sierra Leone: Lessons From a Failed State

Military Interventions in Sierra Leone: Lessons From a Failed State
Author: Larry J. Woods
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 130
Release: 2011-03-31
Genre: History
ISBN: 1257130293

This study by Larry J. Woods and Colonel Timothy R. Reese analyzes the massive turmoil afflicting the nation of Sierra Leone, 1995-2002, and the efforts by a variety of outside forces to bring lasting stability to that small country. The taxonomy of intervention ranged from private mercenary armies, through the Economic Community of West African States, to the United Nations and the United Kingdom. In every case, those who intervened encountered a common set of difficulties that had to be overcome. Unsurprisingly, they also discovered challenges unique to their own organizations and political circumstances. This cogent analysis of recent interventions in Sierra Leone represents a cautionary tale that political leaders and military planners contemplating intervention in Africa ignore at their peril. (Originally published by the Combat Studies Institute)

When the State Fails

When the State Fails
Author: Tunde Zack-Williams
Publisher: Pluto Press
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2012-01-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780745332215

Compared with Kosovo and Iraq, the recent Western intervention in Sierra Leone has been largely forgotten. When the State Fails rectifies this, providing a comprehensive and critical analysis of the intervention. The civil war in Sierra Leone began in 1991 and was declared officially over in 2002 after UK, UN, and regional African military intervention. Some claimed it as a case of successful humanitarian intervention. The authors in this collection provide an informed analysis of the impact of the intervention on democracy, development, and society in Sierra Leone. The authors take a particularly critical view of the imposition of neo-liberalism after the conflict. As NATO intervention in Libya shows the continued use of external force in internal conflicts, When the State Fails is a timely book for all students and scholars interested in Africa and the question of "humanitarian intervention."

Between Democracy and Terror

Between Democracy and Terror
Author: Ibrahim Abdullah
Publisher: Unisa Press
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2004
Genre: History
ISBN: 9782869781238

This is the most authoritative study of the Sierra Leone civil war to emanate from Africa, or indeed any publications' programme on Africa. It explores the genesis of the crisis, the contradictory roles of different internal and external actors, civil society and the media; the regional intervention force and the demise of the second republic. It analyses the numerous peace initiatives designed to end a war, which continued nonetheless to defy and outlast them; and asks why the war became so prolonged. The study articulates how internal actors trod the multiple and conflicting pathways to power. It considers how non-conventional actors were able to inaugurate and sustain an insurgency that called forth the largest concentration of UN peacekeepers the world has ever seen.

Military Interventions in Sierra Leone

Military Interventions in Sierra Leone
Author: Larry J. Woods
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
Total Pages: 115
Release: 2010-01
Genre:
ISBN: 1437923100

Analyzes the massive turmoil afflicting the nation of Sierra Leone, 1995-2002, and the efforts of outside forces to bring stability to that small country. The taxonomy of intervention ranged from private mercenary armies, through the Economic Community of West African States, to the U.N. and the U.K. In every case, those who intervened encountered a common set of difficulties that had to be overcome. Unsurprisingly, they also discovered challenges unique to their own org. and political circumstances. Serving soldiers can often profit vicariously from the mistakes of others as recounted in detailed case studies of historical events. ¿A cautionary tale that political leaders and military planners contemplating intervention in Africa ignore at their peril.¿

Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone
Author: David John Harris
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2014
Genre: History
ISBN: 0199361762

A new political history of the former British colony in West Africa, best known for its diamonds and recent violent civil war, this covers 225 years of history and fills a gap in African studies.

British Military Intervention Into Sierra Leone: A Case Study

British Military Intervention Into Sierra Leone: A Case Study
Author: Major Walter G. Roberson
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
Total Pages: 124
Release: 2014-08-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1782896562

This paper is a case study of the British military intervention into Sierra Leone in 2000. The successful British intervention led to defeat of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), final peace accords, and brought order to a failed state. The paper will explore the following points: what was the British foreign policy and what impact did it have in the decision to intervene; what was the British counterinsurgency (COIN) doctrine and was it useful for the forces in Sierra Leone; did the British forces use their own doctrine or was the situation in Sierra Leone unique; why was the intervention successful and what lessons can be drawn? Beyond the scope of this paper is a comparison of United Kingdom (UK) COIN doctrine and current United States (US) COIN doctrine. The focus will be to analyze the UK’s actions against their doctrine, not the doctrine of the US. There is one major assumption for this case study. The paper categorizes the intervention into Sierra Leone as successful. The justification for the assumption is current day Sierra Leone. Instead of a war torn failed state, Sierra Leone has lasting peace, completed disarmament of insurgent forces, ended the large scale human rights abuse, and democratic elections, not coups, determining the leadership of the country.

War and the Crisis of Youth in Sierra Leone

War and the Crisis of Youth in Sierra Leone
Author: Krijn Peters
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 293
Release: 2011-03-28
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1139497391

The armed conflict in Sierra Leone and the extreme violence of the main rebel faction - the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) - have challenged scholars and members of the international community to come up with explanations. Up to this point, though, conclusions about the nature of the war are mainly drawn from accounts of civilian victims and commentators who had access to only one side of the war. The present study addresses this currently incomplete understanding of the conflict by focusing on the direct experiences and interpretations of protagonists, paying special attention to the hitherto neglected, and often underage, cadres of the RUF. The data presented challenges the widely canvassed notion of the Sierra Leone conflict as a war motivated by 'greed, not grievance'. Rather, it points to a rural crisis expressed in terms of unresolved tensions between landowners and marginalized rural youth, further reinforced and triggered by a collapsing patrimonial state.

Building Peace in West Africa

Building Peace in West Africa
Author: Adekeye Adebajo
Publisher: Lynne Rienner Publishers
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2002
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781588260772

The International Peace Academy

Soldiers in Revolt

Soldiers in Revolt
Author: Maggie Dwyer
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 251
Release: 2018-02-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0190911654

Soldiers in Revolt examines the understudied phenomenon of military mutinies in Africa. Through interviews with former mutineers in Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, and The Gambia, the book provides a unique and intimate perspective on those who take the risky decision to revolt. This view from the lower ranks is key to comprehending the internal struggles that can threaten a military's ability to function effectively. Maggie Dwyer's detailed accounts of specific revolts are complemented by an original dataset of West African mutinies covering more than fifty years, allowing for the identification of trends. Her book shows the complex ways mutineers often formulate and interpret their grievances against a backdrop of domestic and global politics. Just as mutineers have been influenced by the political landscape, so too have they shaped it. Mutinies have challenged political and military leaders, spurred social unrest, led to civilian casualties, threatened peacekeeping efforts and, in extreme cases, resulted in international interventions. Soldiers in Revolt offers a better understanding of West African mutinies and mutinies in general, valuable not only for military studies but for anyone interested in the complex dynamics of African states.