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The Impacts Of The Sierra Leone Civil War(1991-2002)on Of Ecowas

Posted on:2020-12-05Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:SHEBORA SAMBA KAMARAFull Text:PDF
GTID:2416330575970272Subject:International relations
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This Paper is titled “The Impacts of the Sierra Leone Civil War(1991-2002)On The Scope of Ecowas”.It seeks to find out and establish how do the individual circumstances of a member state affect the scope of an Interstate organisation.As the Civil war in Sierra Leone from 1991-2002 affect the operations of an interstate organisation which is;The Economic Community of West African state(ECOWAS)either by ultrication or broadening of the organisation's scope.Ecowas' Scope in this study means the building of Institutions,or the adoption of institutional frameworks within the organisation that will enhance coordinated effort tailored towards achieving the overriding Objective of Economic integration in the region.As the organisation has evolved overtime and incorporated series of institutions that defines its operations today.Preference is given to the Security architecture whose guiding protocol was adopted in 1999,as it's incorporation cannot be unconnected with experiences from the Sierra Leone Civil war.The civil conflict in Sierra Leone is considered one such a circumstance that demanded attention from Ecowas considering the nature of the conflict and the fact that Sierra Leone is a part of Ecowas as an active member state.This study originates with an argument that,the circumstance of a member state especially a civil conflict as devastating as that of Sierra Leone,ought to change or at least broaden the scope of an inter-state organization through the institutionalization of a framework.In this case,the incorporation or adoption of a security agenda in Ecowas is considered a proof of such an argument,as there was not a clearly defined Security architecture within the Organization's operations.Sierra Leone,officially known The Republic of Sierra Leone is a small country in size and population,located in the West coast of Africa with approximately seven million(7,000,000)people.It has experienced a number of tragedies including but not limited to a Civil war,Landslide,epidemics like the deadly Ebola Virus.All of such circumstances were troubling for both the country and all international organisations especially interstate organisations that Sierra Leone is a member of,as some of such organisations are left with no option but to intervene into such circumstances as and when necessary.But of all these efforts,Ecowas is best recognized for its role in the Civil war.The Civil war that erupted in sierra Leone in 1991 and lasted for eleven good years until 2002 when it was officially declared over,was devastating and was extremely difficult to manage by Local authorities.Sierra Leone as a founding member of the Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS),an institution that was established in 1975 to enhance economic integration among West African states,Sierra Leone was helped by various Countries and international organisations including Ecowas and some of its other member states.But conversly,despite the role of Ecowas in putting an end to the conflict,the war was also able to affect the operations of the organisation by provoking the Security preparedness of the organisation.The Theoretical framework focuses on analysing theories of interstate system,war and peace,Institutionalisation,Globalization and international relations theory.such a framework looks at the broader explanations of the aforementioned theories in international relations,and the distinct explanations or perceptions held by scholars especially Realists and Liberalist in the field.All in an effort to establish common ground or a nexus between the two broad theories.In such,theoretical explanations around The State,Interstate organisations and war,Institutionalisation and international Relations theories are reviewed to specifically explore the link between the institutionalisation of a security framework in Ecowas,and Sierra Leone which had a civil war and it being a Member of ECOWAS.whilst,with a new approach to this topic,the review of related literature as limited and concise as it is,the Literature review of this study therefore capture works that have deliberations or findings around two key variables to the research “(i.)Wars and interstate organizations and(ii.)The broadening of Ecowas' scope,the role of the Sierra Leone civil war”.The Collection,presentation and analyses of data collected followed Process Tracing Methodology,as such it helps in producing useful data and satisfying results.The main finding of this study,‘The civil war in Sierra Leone influenced the adoption of a Security agenda in the scope of Ecowas'.Taking the civil war in Sierra Leone as a circumstance of a state that is part of a regional interstate organization,and that its situation(The Civil war),had huge impact in that organization's operations specifically with the mounting of troops in helping with stabilizing the country,but much more so with instituting a Security Architecture with in the operations of Ecowas,even though with a broader scope of economic integration within the community.Therefore,affirming the part of the main argument that suggests that an important circumstance as civil war,ought to change or broaden the scope of the organization.Also affirming that,states are still the most important actors in international relations as Realist will argue,but also not disagreeing with the Liberalist point of view that international organizations are very important and by extension no state can isolate itself from the others.The remarkable intervention of Ecowas as a Regional Interstate Organization in the civil war is still celebrated in Sierra Leone.This further affirms that,there is an existing nexus in Realist and Liberalist perceptions when it comes to State,International Organizations and War.The Paper concludes that the Civil war in Sierra Leone is an important circumstance and it actually influenced the broadening of Ecowas' s scope.Before the war,Ecowas did not have a well-established Security Agenda for the organisation,but at the tail end of the war in 1999 such a protocol was adopted and institutionalised.It could not be a coincidence but rather,a reflection of how important such an organ will be to help preserve the community's economic interest,as the war proves that leaving out a security component could ruin all the gains they(Ecowas)have made over time.
Keywords/Search Tags:Interstate Organisations, Ecowas, Civil war, scope
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