The language of nationalism in postwar reconstruction: Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire

West Africa has seen major civil wars and significant international efforts to rebuild war-torn countries. This has been the experiences of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Cote d’Ivoire for most of the past two decades. Amidst the tragic stories of humanitarian disasters, there are critical debates about the state and the issues of political, economic and social justice, which led to the wars. The peace agreements that ended the wars and the subsequent postwar reconstruction plans address many of the political, economic and social problems that undermined the state. The extant literature on West Africa typically focuses on the causes of wars, the political, economic and security destabilizations, and the postwar institutional mechanisms, such as elections, humanitarian assistance, resettlement of displaced persons, war crimes trials and reconciliation. However, the underlying philosophical visions of the states and social justices have largely been missing from the literature.

This paper seeks to examine the underlying philosophical assumptions of the state and social justice as manifested in the peace processes and postwar reconstruction efforts of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Cote d’Ivoire. These philosophical assumptions are firmly embodies in the language of development, peace, democracy and equality, which are often invoked in the peace agreements and key postwar reconstruction plans. This language not only speaks to the broader issues of political, economic and social justice that led to the civil wars, but it is also rooted in nationalist sentiments of patriotism, progress and freedom from aid-dependency.

The paper will address the nature and implications of this language of nationalism and social justice. Methodologically, the paper will be a content and hermeneutic analysis of the key national documents on the peace processes and the postwar reconstruction efforts (e.g. peace agreements, World Bank approved development plans, and reports of the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions).