Security Sector Reform in Conflict-Affected Countries: The Evolution of a Model

353 Pages·2016·3.92 MB·English

by  Mark Sedra

Security Sector Reform in
Conflict- Affected Countries
This book examines the evolution, impact and future prospects of the
Security Sector Reform (SSR) model in conflict- affected countries in the
context of the wider debate over the liberal peace project.
Since its emergence as a concept in the late 1990s, SSR has represented a
paradigm shift in security assistance, from the realist, regime-c entric, train-
and-equip approach of the Cold War to a new liberal, holistic and people-
centred model. The rapid rise of this model, however, belied its rather
meagre impact on the ground. This book critically examines the concept and
its record of achievement over the past two decades, putting it into the
broader context of peace-b uilding and state-b uilding theory and practice. It
focuses attention on the most common, celebrated and complex setting for
SSR, conflict-a ffected environments, and comparatively examines the applica-
tion and impacts of donor-s upported SSR programming in a series of
conflict- affected countries over the past two decades, including Afghanistan,
Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, East Timor and Bosnia-
Herzegovina. The broader aim of the book is to better understand how the
contemporary SSR model has coalesced over the past two decades and
become mainstreamed in international development and security policy and
practice. This provides a solid foundation to investigate the reasons for the
poor performance of the model and to assess its prospects for the future.
This book will be of much interest to students of international security,
peacebuilding, statebuilding, development studies and IR in general.
Mark Sedra is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Political
Science at the University of Waterloo and the Balsillie School of International
Affairs, Canada. He is author/editor of five books.
Routledge Studies in Conflict, Security and Development
Series editors: Paul Jackson
University of Birmingham
and
Mark Sedra
University of Waterloo
Designed to meet the needs of researchers, teachers and policy makers in this
area, this series publishes books of new, innovative research in to the connec-
tions between conflict, security and development processes. The series
encourages a multidisciplinary approach to the links between these thematic
issues, including the nature of conflict itself and the underlying conflict
drivers, the underlying characteristics and drivers of insecurity, and the effects
and use of development strategies in post-c onflict environments and how that
relates to broader peacebuilding strategies.
Security Sector Reform in Conflict- Affected Countries
The evolution of a model
Mark Sedra
Security Sector Reform in
Conflict- Affected Countries
The evolution of a model
Mark Sedra
First published 2017
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2017 Mark Sedra
The right of Mark Sedra to be identified as author of this work has
been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or
other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Names: Sedra, Mark, author.
Title: Security sector reform in conflict-affected countries : the
evolution of a model / Mark Sedra.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2017. |
Series: Routledge studies in conflict, security and development |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016025341 | ISBN 9781138933910 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781315678313 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Security sector. | Internal security. | National
security. | Security sector–Afghanistan. | Internal security–
Afghanistan. | National security–Afghanistan.
Classification: LCC UA10.5 .S427 2017 | DDC 355/.0330581–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016025341
ISBN: 978-1-138-93391-0 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-67831-3 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear
For Sidney, Stella and Juno
This page has been left blank intentionally
Contents
List of illustrations viii
Acknowledgements ix
List of abbreviations x
Introduction 1
1 Security sector reform and the liberal peace 20
2 The origins and evolution of the security sector reform
model 52
3 Assessing the security sector reform model in
conflict- affected countries 103
4 The ultimate test: an overview of Afghanistan’s security
sector reform process 157
5 The slide toward expediency in Afghanistan: from
orthodox security sector reform to realist train-and-equip 227
Conclusion 271
Select bibliography 313
Index 330
Illustrations
Figures
2.1 Mapping the security sector 59
2.2 Four dimensions of SSR 61
2.3 Typical SSR implementation phases 62
4.1 Afghanistan’s SSR process 166
4.2 SSR preconditions 167
6.1 Charting SSR’s emerging schools of thought 286
Tables
2.1 Train-and-equip security assistance vs SSR 56
4.1 Comparing COIN and SSR goals 169
6.1 Comparing conditions in South Africa and Afghanistan 302
Acknowledgements
For this book I received invaluable support and stimulating feedback from a
range of individuals, most notably Geoff Burt, Timothy Donais and Charles
Tripp. I would like to thank my colleagues, past and present, at the Centre
for Security Governance for their many contributions to my work. Jennifer
Goyder did an excellent job in copy- editing early drafts of this book. And
special thanks go to Hannah Ferguson at Routledge, who patiently guided
me through the publication process.
I am very grateful for the wealth of assistance that I received from a range
of different individuals during my various research trips to Afghanistan since
2003. Thanks also to my many colleagues and friends working in the areas of
Afghanistan and security sector reform, who have influenced and enriched
my ideas over the years.
Finally, this book would not be possible without the love and support of
my family.