Introduction and Background
Sierra Leoneans are anxious to make their individual and collective efforts to improve their country and its institutions, as we try to put behind us the most recent, ugly episode of conflict which ended in 2002. To that end, we want to learn lessons from our recent history of war and subsequent reform and share those lessons with the rest of the world.
There are, to my understanding, three significant reasons why Sierra Leone is an important case study in war and reform and how the international community can draw lessons from our experience. Firstly, the keen interest of the international community in developments in Sierra Leone underscores the phenomenon of globalization and global interest in conflict. Secondly, the international community may learn some positive lessons from the experiences in Sierra Leone that can be shared with other troubled areas in the global village. Thirdly, it is time to take stock and examine our ‘report card’, so that we may improve the way we have been doing business.
