ABSTRACT

This article explores Sierra Leone’s trajectory from host of the world’s largest peace-support operation to post-conflict provider of peacekeepers elsewhere. Building on the authors’ previous research, it aims to nuance contemporary theoretical discussions of why states contribute peacekeepers, arguing that existing frameworks are unable to fully explain such developments in the Sierra Leonean case. A key reason is that these frameworks principally focus on national-level decision-making, overlooking the influence of foreign governments and external political pressures. Sierra Leone’s contribution of peacekeepers became integral to the post-conflict reconstruction of its armed forces, enabled and pushed forward by external partners, most prominently the UK. As such, internal and external factors intertwined to advance this trajectory, from national identity to income generation, international support and domestic crises. Sierra Leone’s trajectory grew from unique circumstances – with international partners playing an exceptionally central role in driving the process forward. These factors make Sierra Leone an important case to interrogate, against the backdrop of existing theoretical frameworks that seek to explain why states contribute troops.

摘要

本文探讨了塞拉利昂从世界上最大的和平支持行动的东道国到冲突后其他地方的维和人员的轨迹。它基于作者先前的研究，旨在细化当代有关国家为何派遣维和人员的理论讨论，认为现有框架无法完全解释塞拉利昂案件中的这种发展。一个关键原因是这些框架主要集中在国家一级的决策上，而忽略了外国政府的影响和外部政治压力。塞拉利昂维持和平人员的贡献成为冲突后重建其武装部队不可或缺的一部分，这是由外部伙伴（最主要是英国）推动和推动的。因此，内部和外部因素交织在一起，以推动这一发展轨迹，从民族身份到创收，国际支持和国内危机。塞拉利昂的发展轨迹源于独特的环境-国际合作伙伴在推动这一进程中发挥了极其重要的作用。这些因素使塞拉利昂成为了一个重要的案例，在现有的理论框架下，塞拉利昂试图解释国家为什么派兵。