The Legacy of the British Intervention in Sierra Leone on British Foreign Policy

This chapter turns its attention towards domestic politics within the UK, the impact on British foreign policy, and the role the UK views for itself in the international arena. Participants’ perceived reasons for the success of the British intervention in Sierra Leone is first explored to foreground discussion of the impacts within foreign policy. Ethical foreign policy, heroism and British exceptionalism is then analysed before shifting focus to the future bilateral relationship between the two countries and the UK’s role in peacekeeping. These themes are united by the umbrella of how the UK positions itself globally and in relation to Africa. Whereas the previous two chapters are based on participants’ direct experiences of the intervention, the following two chapters widen out the scope of the discussion. Participants provide their views on the legacy of the intervention on British foreign policy based on their experiences. Multiple findings expose a disconnect between those making decisions at a higher level and how situations are experienced on the ground.