Post-War Regimes and State Reconstruction in Liberia and Sierra Leone by Amadu Sesay, Charles Ukeje, Osman Gbla, and Olawale Ismail (review)

This 109-page book was a product of field studies undertaken at various times in Liberia and Sierra Leone by four eminent West African scholars: Amadu Sesay, Charles Ukeje, Osman Gbla, and Olawale Ismail. It contains six chapters that dwell on various issues that reflect the research agenda of the authors. While the first and the last chapters of the book open and close the “discursive floor,” respectively, chapters two through five delve into various issues surrounding postconflict state reconstruction in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

In the first chapter, entitled “Post- war Regimes and State Reconstruction: A Framework for Analysis and Comparative Experiences,” the authors lay out the theoretical foundation on which the entire study was erected. Using the Waltzian neorealist theory, the authors develop a framework that links the concepts of power elites and state reconstruction. Indeed, the authors aver: “[E]xamining the power elite and post- war reconstruction interface helps in locating the research within a more empirical, contemporary, yet evolving context, as opposed to one of excessive theorization” (p. 3). Having set the theoretical framework in the first few paragraphs of the chapter, the authors not only critique the orthodox liberal- inspired theory of postwar reconstruction (pp.12- 17) but also make a case for the use of comparative methods. On p.11, they justify their position thus: “[G]iven the present dearth of literature on the subject matter and its relative newness, especially in Africa, comparative research becomes a valuable step in building a catalogue of cross-national and cross- regional experiences in the theory and practice of post- war reconstruction.”

Chapter two of the book, entitled “State Collapse and Civil Wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone,” examines the roots of the crises in Liberia and Sierra Leone. The authors admit that the two countries are alike in terms of “creole-dom,” but not identical in terms of politico- economic dynamics (p.19). Thus, the forces that incubated state collapse in the two countries are dissimilar. In the case of Liberia, the implosion was linked to political manipulation and economic mismanagement, while in the case of Sierra Leone, it was connected to democratic misadventure.

In chapter three of the book, “Regime Types and Post- war Reconstruction in Liberia,” the authors draw on primary and secondary data to examine in depth the nexus between regimes types and postwar reconstruction in Liberia. Here, the authors are quick to add that aside from the character of the regimes, the processes that produced the regimes also matter. Specifically, they contend that elections that produced a warlord-president (Charles Taylor) and a statesman-president (Ellen Johnson Sirleaf), respectively, produced different outcomes. The statesman-president tends to get external support critical to the reconstruction process. Thus, unlike Charles Taylor, who continuously subverted state institutions while he reigned, the regime of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf within a short period succeeded in restoring order and institutional legitimacy.

In chapter four of the book, entitled “Regime Types and Post- war Reconstruction in Sierra Leone,” the authors probe Ahmed Tejan Kabbah’s regime and compare Kabbah’s regime in Sierra Leone with that of Taylor’s in Liberia. According to the authors, “As a democratically and popularly elected leader, he [Kabbah] carried, more national and international clout than Taylor in neighboring Liberia and was able to attract both domestic and international post-war reconstruction support” (p. 55). With domestic and international support, the Kabbah-led regime, aver the authors, was expected to perform wonders; but the fundamental transformation never came during the time of writing. Indeed, the evaluation of all postwar reconstruction policies by the authors suggests that the supposedly “new order” was not markedly different from the prewar order.

In chapter five, “Post- war Regimes and Reconstruction...