In a recent seminar on comparative democracies, I glanced over a document, published by the US-funded NGO Freedom House, which scored every country in the world based on their level of democracy. I was surprised to see Sierra Leone — a small, resource-rich country on the West African coast with about six million people — listed as one of the most democratic nations in sub-Saharan Africa.

But the plaudits were also nothing new. Ever since a 2002 United Nations intervention helped end a decade-long civil war — purportedly installing a system of free and fair elections and respect for civil liberties — Salone, as locals call it, has been hailed as a model for the region.

In addition to democratic advances, boosters assert the country has reaped the dividends of neoliberal capitalism. Home to precious minerals and crops, from bauxite, iron ore, and diamonds to palm oil, multinationals extract hundreds of millions of dollars from the country every year. The country’s weak regulatory mechanisms and low tax rates help attract over US $1 billion in foreign investment annually.