by Greg Mills & Terence McNamee
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Two weeks after Sierra Leone's people went to the polls this September to choose a new president, the opposition leader Ernest Bai Koroma was sworn in as the country's new leader. He won 54.6% of the final vote against Vice-President Solomon Berewa's 45.4% in a tense run-off.
Five years after its devastating civil war came to an end, the country's largely peaceful and fair election marks an important step forward in its democratic development. But this election occurred against an alarming backdrop -- extreme unemployment, declining health and education services, and infrastructure as decrepit as anywhere in Africa. Understanding what's gone wrong, why peace and stability has done nothing to alleviate crushing poverty, is important not just for Sierra Leone's new President.
There are critical lessons for the international community, too, which go beyond Sierra Leone to other post-conflict states in Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere.
