Author: Christopher Wyrod | Journal of Democracy

Christopher Wyrod coordinated democracy assistance to Sierra Leone for the National Endowment for Democracy from 2003 to 2007 as the Program Officer for West Africa. He is currently the resident representative for the International Republican Institute in Timor-Leste (formerly East Timor).

January 2008, Volume 19, Issue 1

Sierra Leone: A Vote for Better Governance

Christopher Wyrod

Five years after the close of a horrifying civil war, Sierra Leone held the freest elections in its history. Voters turned out the party that had overseen the war's end, blaming it for having mishandled governance since then.

Democratization in Africa: Progress and Retreat

Marc F. Plattner
Larry Diamond

At a time when democracy seems to be in retreat in many parts of the world, Africa presents a more mixed picture. Democratization in Africa: Progress and Retreat brings into focus the complex landscape of African politics by pairing broad analytical surveys with country-specific case studies.