Towards a Non-State Security Sector Reform Strategy

Michael Lawrence

While security sector reform (SSR) encompasses a range of efforts that contribute to peace, stability, democracy and development by improving the performance of a society’s security and justice institutions, the overall results of state-centric SSR over the last decade have been modest, at best.In this paper, Michael Lawrence outlines a comprehensive strategy for engaging non-state actors in SSR. By synthesizing the emerging literature and developing new conceptual tools to advance policy and practice, the paper suggests the roles that non-state security providers should supply in reform efforts, outlines what such an approach might achieve, provides tools with which to understand who such actors really are, and clarifies how international actors could pursue such a strategy.

The paper concludes that non-state engagement is a viable and attractive approach to SSR that merits further research and serious policy-making consideration. The current analyst believes this paper represents a useful addition to the ongoing debate on security sector reform in Africa. Download full textSSR No 8_0.pdf