Anarchy and the Quest for Political Stability in Sierra Leone
2014; Oxford University Press; Volume: 113; Issue: 451 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1093/afraf/adu015
ISSN1468-2621
Autores Tópico(s)Political Conflict and Governance
ResumoLike so many countries in the developing world, Sierra Leone has been negatively affected by colonialism, neo-colonialism, foreign economic domination, the International Monetary Fund and World Bank structural austerity programmes, capital flight, dependent development, political corruption, economic instability, patronage, civil war, military coups, and ethnic violence, alongside limited growth and development. Nwagboso's book examines how the aforesaid factors shaped Sierra Leone and also shows how various factions in and outside the country have competed to control the economy, mainly the diamond fields. The end result was the virtual collapse of this small West African state of about six million people. The general thesis of the book is that Sierra Leone's past and current dilemmas derive from the weaknesses and failures of the country's political leadership. The author argues that British colonialism led to a small but powerful group of Afro-Lebanese assuming control of Sierra Leone's economic affairs. After independence in 1961, Afro-Lebanese continued to control the economy with the help of local leaders and the ‘smuggling of diamonds and gold out of the country’ (p. 19). Nwagboso argues that this control was possible because of successive corrupt post-independence (1961–85) leaders. Local leaders plundered state revenues and were susceptible to bribes and kickbacks. Essentially, they used political office for personal gain. President Siaka Stevens, in particular, had an iron grip on the country and engineered a political system that consolidated one-party domination by the All People's Congress (APC).
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