AN INTERPRETATION OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SECOND BATTLE OF WATERLOO.

Good governance is a pre-condition for economic development. Good governance, in turn, requires peace. The second Battle of Waterloo, in Sierra Leone, showed what the West can do in this regard. A small military intervention, not hemmed in by the typical restrictions on what ‘peacekeepers’ can do, made a huge difference to the development prospects of the country. This has important implications for the use of external military forces as part of the overall strategy for poverty reduction in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]