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Under Development: A journey without maps
Armed with a university degree, the Boy Scout’s solemn oath and a snakebite kit which he left on the plane, Ian Smillie set out more than 50 years ago to confront ignorance, want and war. He taught at a remote school in Sierra Leone, was an aid administrator in Nigeria during the Biafran War and for a time he knew more about cement than anyone else in Bangladesh.
In his travels as a writer, consultant and teacher, he had encounters with Graham Greene, Wole Soyinka, James Baldwin, the Queen and the ‘Butcher of Beijing’. He was instrumental in the campaign to halt blood diamonds, and he was the first witness at the war crimes trial of Liberian warlord Charles Taylor. Smillie’s story moves from war-torn Bosnia, the Khyber Pass and a Paul McCartney quest in Moscow, to a just-before-9/11 meeting at the Bin Laden-obsessed CIA headquarters in Langley.
This is a memoir about personal development, the development of ideas and understanding, rights and justice, war and peace, poverty and prosperity. It's about one of the greatest imperatives of our the drive to end global poverty and why, despite exaggerated claims to the contrary, it isn’t working. Bill Clinton called one of his books about international development ‘insightful’ and of another, The Economist said, ‘Read Smillie if you want something constructive.’
'Through lived experience, Ian Smillie shows what is practically possible, with patience and determination, in alleviating poverty and spreading fairness and justice.'
Stéphane Fischler, former president World Diamond Council and current Board of Trustees, Resolve.ngo
'Ian Smillie has written a spellbinding memoir of a life’s journey that, beginning when he was a diffident 22-year-old Canadian just out of university, takes him through newly-independent Africa – hopeful in parts but already showing signs of corrosive fissures – to Asia and the Caribbean, during which he grows into a grizzled, wise, and venerable warrior. Like his hero Graham Greene, Ian really seems to have lost his heart to Sierra Leone, returning there again and again, even amidst a civil war fuelled by a warlord, Liberia’s Charles Tayor, who he finally helped put behind bars. I am proud to have worked with him in this effort, and to call him a friend. No-one reading this rich, penetrating and deeply moving personal record can fail to appreciate the depth of Mr. Smillie’s commitment to that elusive and protean thing, ‘development’.'
Lansana Gberie (PhD), Ambassador of Sierra Leone to Switzerland, author of A Dirty War in West Africa (Hurst)
'Weaving anecdote, insight and incomparable breadth of experience, Ian’s memoire navigates a development labyrinth. There are pathways to unviable projects, to messy aid politics, to personal risk, to justice happening. From decades of travel, here is an explorer's guide for the developmentally curious.'
Professor Alan Fowler is a a co-founder of INTRAC and of the Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment at the University of Witwatersrand
Under Development describes the amazing adventures of a remarkable development practitioner, thinker and author – who lived and worked in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Canada gaining technical-cum-political expertise on diamonds, jute, concrete and so much more. Ian Smillie tells his real-life adventures with the narrative and descriptive skills of a novelist while also challenging the international development community to reimagine and transform development.'
Marty Chen, Harvard University, WIEGO and BRAC Global
In his travels as a writer, consultant and teacher, he had encounters with Graham Greene, Wole Soyinka, James Baldwin, the Queen and the ‘Butcher of Beijing’. He was instrumental in the campaign to halt blood diamonds, and he was the first witness at the war crimes trial of Liberian warlord Charles Taylor. Smillie’s story moves from war-torn Bosnia, the Khyber Pass and a Paul McCartney quest in Moscow, to a just-before-9/11 meeting at the Bin Laden-obsessed CIA headquarters in Langley.
This is a memoir about personal development, the development of ideas and understanding, rights and justice, war and peace, poverty and prosperity. It's about one of the greatest imperatives of our the drive to end global poverty and why, despite exaggerated claims to the contrary, it isn’t working. Bill Clinton called one of his books about international development ‘insightful’ and of another, The Economist said, ‘Read Smillie if you want something constructive.’
'Through lived experience, Ian Smillie shows what is practically possible, with patience and determination, in alleviating poverty and spreading fairness and justice.'
Stéphane Fischler, former president World Diamond Council and current Board of Trustees, Resolve.ngo
'Ian Smillie has written a spellbinding memoir of a life’s journey that, beginning when he was a diffident 22-year-old Canadian just out of university, takes him through newly-independent Africa – hopeful in parts but already showing signs of corrosive fissures – to Asia and the Caribbean, during which he grows into a grizzled, wise, and venerable warrior. Like his hero Graham Greene, Ian really seems to have lost his heart to Sierra Leone, returning there again and again, even amidst a civil war fuelled by a warlord, Liberia’s Charles Tayor, who he finally helped put behind bars. I am proud to have worked with him in this effort, and to call him a friend. No-one reading this rich, penetrating and deeply moving personal record can fail to appreciate the depth of Mr. Smillie’s commitment to that elusive and protean thing, ‘development’.'
Lansana Gberie (PhD), Ambassador of Sierra Leone to Switzerland, author of A Dirty War in West Africa (Hurst)
'Weaving anecdote, insight and incomparable breadth of experience, Ian’s memoire navigates a development labyrinth. There are pathways to unviable projects, to messy aid politics, to personal risk, to justice happening. From decades of travel, here is an explorer's guide for the developmentally curious.'
Professor Alan Fowler is a a co-founder of INTRAC and of the Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment at the University of Witwatersrand
Under Development describes the amazing adventures of a remarkable development practitioner, thinker and author – who lived and worked in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Canada gaining technical-cum-political expertise on diamonds, jute, concrete and so much more. Ian Smillie tells his real-life adventures with the narrative and descriptive skills of a novelist while also challenging the international development community to reimagine and transform development.'
Marty Chen, Harvard University, WIEGO and BRAC Global
294 pages, Hardcover
Published July 15, 2024
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November 30, 2025
This account offers a fascinating overview of a long career in international development, along with an analysis of various programs and projects. It would appear that many, if not most, foreign initiatives have either failed or achieved only limited success. A frequent cause of poor results—sometimes exacerbating the problem—is the failure to understand and integrate local history, culture, and politics. To illustrate, imagine if numerous African NGOs, governments, and international organizations attempted to address a social and economic issue in Europe or North America without involving local residents.
However, not all efforts have been in vain. For instance, Smillie acknowledges the contributions of the thousands of development workers who will have supported individuals in pursuing careers and making a difference in their own countries. Volunteers and experts have also provided valuable and informed input into large-scale development efforts. Smillie himself played a key role in regulating the exploitative international diamond trade, including in Sierra Leone, where he began his career as a volunteer teacher. He also highlights a rural development program in Bangladesh, led by local people for nearly 50 years, which continues to deliver impressive results. This account is presented with a personal touch by someone who, as the title suggests, has always been both a student and a participant in international development.
However, not all efforts have been in vain. For instance, Smillie acknowledges the contributions of the thousands of development workers who will have supported individuals in pursuing careers and making a difference in their own countries. Volunteers and experts have also provided valuable and informed input into large-scale development efforts. Smillie himself played a key role in regulating the exploitative international diamond trade, including in Sierra Leone, where he began his career as a volunteer teacher. He also highlights a rural development program in Bangladesh, led by local people for nearly 50 years, which continues to deliver impressive results. This account is presented with a personal touch by someone who, as the title suggests, has always been both a student and a participant in international development.
Displaying 1 of 1 review