Abstract:
Security sector reform is part of the new approach to state reconstruction that surfaced in the late 1980s, with international actors focusing efforts on “state building,” or strengthening governmental institutions as a central component to reconstructing states emerging out of war (Paris and Sisk 2009). A hallmark of criticism of security sector reform however, is that they focus overly on the formal arms of justice and security, and marginalize customary justice alternatives. This is true even though in many countries, particularly where the state is weak, it is clear that the state is not the only actor in security and justice.
