The Challenges and Opportunities of Security Sector Reform in Post ...

• Secondly and relatedly, the paper argues that the core of SSR lies in the twin
imperatives of operational efficiency and democratic governance. The objective of
improving the ability of security institutions to deliver security services to the majority
of the population, including and particularly the poor, in a cost effective and
operationally efficient manner is one aspect of SSR.
However, operational efficiency without effective democratic oversight is a recipe for the
brutalisation and oppression of the population by armed and security forces, particularly
of the poor and vulnerable. Nowhere has this been better demonstrated than in Liberia,
and is arguably one of the major factors that precipitated war in the first place. Thus, the
other element of SSR is that of democratic civilian oversight which ensures that the
armed and security forces function according to democratic principles and under the
control of democratic institutions. This paper argues that not only is democratic
governance not reflected in the reconstruction of the security sector in Liberia, but also
notes that several developments within the reform process are antithetical to these
principles. This paper questions the rationale of subcontracting the reform of the
Liberian armed forces to a private comapany and posits that, given their opaque modes
of operation, such entities are ill-suited to the nurturing of democratic governance
principles, as well as for the long-term commitment that is necessary for peacebuilding,
as opposed to mere restructuring. This paper further posits that the National Transitional
Legislative Assembly (NTLA) has not been in a position to conduct effective oversight
given its credibility crisis, while civil society has been too weak and compromised to play
an effective oversight role.
This paper is composed of five sections. Following is an overview of the Liberian postconflict
reconstruction process, starting with a historical background and an outline of
the political economy of Liberia. This paper reviews the general reconstruction process
within which security sector reform is pursued. It acknowledges that progress is being
made but also identifies those factors which continue to hinder peacebuilding in Liberia.
The third section focuses on the challenges facing the reconstruction of the security
sector, in the light of tensions between the security of the state and the state of security.
In essence, this paper analyses security sector reconstruction as a peacebuilding strategy,
arguing that democratic governance of the security sector provides the basis for
legitimacy, and thus sustainable peace and development. The fourth section raises
concerns about the prospects for democratic oversight within the transitional reform
process and identifies those factors which are likely to hamper accountability and
transparency in the reform of the security sector. The fifth and final part provides the
conclusion and policy recommendations.
2. The Liberian Post-conflict Reconstruction Process: ‘War
Carry Everything!’
2.1. Background and Context of Post-conflict Reconstruction
Though often described as the oldest independent republic in Africa, in reality Liberia
has been under ‘black colonialism’ since it was founded by freed American slaves in
3