Why are some countries more successful at carrying out post-conflict reconstruction programmes than others? Why has Sierra Leone been more successful in the reform of its armed forces than Liberia has after the end of the Mano River Basin wars? This paper argues that the diverging outcomes are...

In 2006, the Special Court for Sierra Leone arrested former Liberian President Charles Taylor for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The trial is currently underway in The Hague, but human rights observers have questioned the relevance of a trial held such a distance from Sierra Leone. This...