This book examines the challenges posed by the largely unfamiliar culture in which the Special Court for Sierra Leone operates.

Tim Kelsall works as an Associate of the Africa, Politics and Power Programme and as a Visiting Fellow at the Berkeley War Crimes Studies Center based in Phnom Penh. In the past he has taught Politics at the universities of Oxford and Newcastle and has been an editor of the journal African Affairs.

1. White man's justice? Sierra Leone and the expanding project of international law; 2. The story of the CDF trial; 3. An unconventional army: chains of command in a patrimonial society; 4. Facts, metaphysics and mysticism: magical powers and the law; 5. We cannot accept any cultural consideration: the child soldiers charge; 6. 'He's not very forthright': finding the facts in a culture of secrecy; 7. Cultural issues in the RUF, AFRC, and Charles Taylor trials; 8. Conclusion: from legal imperialism to dialogics.