Blair's Successful War British Military Intervention in Sierra Leone

Andrew Dorman introduces Sierra Leone as Blair's second great military adventure after Kosovo and the first he undertook on his own. It is tied to Blair's 1999 Chicago speech on the 'Doctrine of the International Community', his move towards humanitarianism and the impact of the Kosovo experience. The book links this move with the rise of cosmopolitan militaries and the increasing involvement of Western forces in humanitarian operations and their impact on the international system. Furthermore, it places it within the context of defence transformation and the emerging Western expeditionary capabilities, in particular the European Union's new battle group concept and developments in concepts such as Network Centric Warfare and Networked Enabled Capability. Examining the whole campaign and considering the impact on the Blair Government, this book will prove to be a key reader on the topic.

Contents: Introduction; Blair and the use of military force; Background history: from the creation of Sierra Leone to the end of civil war; Lomé peace agreement and UNAMSIL - the UN peacekeeping mission; Evacuation, May 2000; Saving UNAMSIL and confronting the RUF; Operation Barras - the hostage rescue; The defeat of the RUF; Impact of the operation; Select bibliography; Index.

Andrew M. Dorman is Senior Lecturer, Defence Studies Department, King's College London based at the Joint Services Command and Staff College, UK