Evaluating Transitional Justice: Accountability and Peacebuilding in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone(Rethinking Peace and Conflict Studies)

Demonstrating groundbreaking analysis, this is the first major study to evaluate the transitional justice programme in Sierra Leone. Rather than focusing on a single mechanism, the authors examine how the Special Court, Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), local justice initiatives and reparations programme interacted. Contributors to the book include the Prosecutor of the Special Court and one of the Commissioners from the TRC, alongside a range of experts on transitional justice, on international law and on Sierra Leone. The authors consider the political and normative drivers of transitional justice and the lessons that the Sierra Leone programme stands to offer other post-conflict situations. The importance of long-term planning, local partnership and the management of the politics and trade-offs for future transitional justice programmes cannot be underestimated. This edited volume makes a significant contribution to the field by demonstrating how contextual knowledge should be used alongside normative standards when evaluating transitional justice.

Table of Contents:
1. Transitional Justice in Sierra Leone: Theory, History and Evaluation; Kirsten Ainley, Rebekka Friedman and Chris Mahony 2. Evaluating the Legacy of the Special Court for Sierra Leone; Brenda J. Hollis 3. The Truth about the Truth: Insider Reflections on the Sierra Leonean Truth and Reconciliation Commission; Chris Mahony and Yasmin Sooka 4. Restorative Justice in Sierra Leone: Promises and Limitations; Rebekka Friedman 5. A Political Tool? The Politics of Case Selection at the Special Court for Sierra Leone; Chris Mahony 6. Comparing Fairness and Due Process in the RUF and CDF cases: Consequences for the Legacy of the Special Court for Sierra Leone; Wayne Jordash QC and Matthew R. Crowe 7. Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone: The Contribution of Transitional Justice Mechanisms to Domestic Law Reform; Valerie Oosterveld 8. Taylor is Guilty, is that all there is? The Collision of Justice and Politics in the Domestic Arena; David Harris and Richard Lappin 9. Harmonizing Customary Justice with the International Rule of Law? Lessons from Post-conflict Sierra Leone; Mohamed Sesay 10. Whose Justice in Sierra Leone? Power, Security and Justice in Post-Conflict Reconstruction; Paul Jackson 11. A Pragmatic Pact: Reconciliation and Reintegration in Sierra Leone; Kieran Mitton 12. Evaluating the Success of Transitional Justice in Sierra Leone and Beyond; Kirsten Ainley 13. The Potential and Politics of Transitional Justice: Interactions between the Global and the Local in Evaluations of Success; Kirsten Ainley, Rebekka Friedman and Chris Mahony

About the Author :
Kirsten Ainley is an Assistant Professor in International Relations and Director of the Centre for International Studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She has published on transitional justice, the International Criminal Court, individual and collective responsibility and the notion of evil in international law and politics. Rebekka Friedman is a Lecturer in International Peace and Security at King's College London. Her research expertise focuses on the contribution of formal and informal transitional justice mechanisms to reconciliation and peace-building in post-conflict societies. She is Co-Convener of the KCL War Crimes Research Group. Chris Mahony is Citizen Security and Criminal Justice Specialist at The World Bank Group, a Research Fellow at the Centre for International Law Research and Policy and Visiting Research Fellow at Georgetown University Law Center. His research seeks to explain the contemporary trajectory of international criminal justice and its implications for global peace and security.

Review :
'This book charts the way forward for studies at the boundaries of law and politics. Not only does it present detailed research on the case of Sierra Leone, but it also tackles the somewhat amorphous notion of transitional justice itself, bringing together different and sometimes competing perspectives and presenting a framework for evaluating transitional justice in other contexts. It is essential reading for researchers and practitioners operating in conflict and post-conflict situations.' – James Gow, Professor of International Peace and Security, King's College London How to evaluate the success of transitional justice? This insightful book sheds needed light on the problem in its contemporary manifestation; offering an interdisciplinary lens that encompasses the range of current global phenomena and adding significantly to our understanding of the comparative law and politics of these questions on the ground. – Ruti Teitel, Ernst C.Stiefel Professor of Comparative Law, New York Law School This important new volume will be of great interest both to those concerned with evaluating efforts to pursue accountability after conflict in Sierra Leone and also to anyone engaged in broader debates within transitional justice, particularly over the implementation of retributive and restorative policies. Practitioners and scholars alike will find this book highly illuminating. – Chandra Lekha Sriram, Professor of International Law and International Relations, University of East London 'Evaluating Transitional Justice' is a major advance in how we think about transitional justice success and failure in Sierra Leone and elsewhere. The authors provide groundbreaking contextualized analyses of the selection, design and function of TJ measures. This is an indispensable contribution to the transitional justice literature.' – Helen Clark, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme 'Evaluating Transitional Justice' provides no easy answers, but in exposing us to the often contradictory views of its experts, this invaluable book reminds us of how critically important it is to get transitional justice mechanisms right, so that the terrible injustices of the past are not repeated in the future.' – Zainab Hawa Bangura, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict; former Foreign Minister of Sierra Leone 'This important new volume will be of great interest both to those concerned with evaluating efforts to pursue accountability after conflict in Sierra Leone and also to anyone engaged in broader debates within transitional justice, particularly over the implementation of retributive and restorative policies. Practitioners and scholars alike will find this book highly illuminating.' – Chandra Lekha Sriram, Professor of International Law and International Relations, University of East London