Contents

List of Tables

List of Abbreviations

Maps

Acknowledgements

1 Introduction

Recent trends in international conflict resolution

Imperatives and trajectories in African conflict

Democracy and representation in post-Cold War Africa

Democratisation after conflict

Grounds for comparison

Key questions

2 The Long Road to Conflict in Sierra Leone and Liberia

Colonialism, settlements and early politics

Violence in a shrinking state: Sierra Leone’s postcolonial pre-conflict years

The problems of multi-party and one-party elections in Sierra Leone

A decade of decline and violence: Liberia’s post-1980 pre-conflict years

Votes from violence and fraud in Liberia

Conclusions

3 Sierra Leone - War and Peace

Development of the conflict

The nature of the war and the combatants

Conclusions

4 Sierra Leone - The 1996 and 2002 Elections

The nature of the peace and the parties

Conclusions

5 Liberia - War and Peace

Development of the conflict

The nature of the war and the combatants

Conclusions

6 Liberia - The 1997 and 2005 Elections

The nature of the peace and the parties

Conclusions

7 Key Factors in the Elections in Sierra Leone and Liberia

Contributory factors

Two crucial factors

Conclusions

8 Post-Conflict Elections or Post-Elections Conflict

A note on Creoledom

Return to conflict or peace

The emergence of plausible political actors in post-conflict elections

African democracy in peace and war

Notes

Bibliography

Index