Review by Choice Review
Scholars and international aid specialists have frequently examined similarities between the civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone and their subsequent democratization. Harris (Univ. of London), who served on numerous election observation teams in the two countries, successfully combines three goals in investigating how well theories of successful transition fit these cases. First he examines theoretical links among broad concepts: conflict resolution, post-civil-war elections, and justice (whether through the International Criminal Court, special global tribunals based outside West Africa, or domestic courts more responsive to local values and needs). Then Harris turns to detailed chapters on the two civil wars. His treatment extends comparative studies by specialists such as Christopher Clapham, the International Crisis Group, and William Reno and country-specific analyses by Tim Kelsall, John-Peter Pham, and Alex Thomson. Finally, and most important, Harris makes several suggestions for successful democratization. They include proposals such as international funding of African political parties, constitutional engineering, adaptations of international justice systems, and utilization of nonpolitical actors. In short, the tasks of reconstruction involve numerous actors and several strategies. "Solutions" tried elsewhere or earlier have varying degrees of applicability in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and elsewhere in the developing world. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, and research collections. C. E. Welch University at Buffalo, SUNY
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
