The rise of new progressivism in the 21st century: democratization of the world and the need for security sector transformation The world is in transition. From the dictatorship that emerged in many newly born nations after the subsequent decolonization followed by World War II, today we see thousands and millions of people around the world demanding true democracy in government. [1] This period is the "new" Progressivism; it is a time for new social and political reforms and a period of preparation and adaptation for the new democratically transforming global society. Furthermore, as society reshapes itself in a more democratic way, the role of the security sectors also appears to be drastically redefined, from “terrorist government tool” to “protector of civilians' daily lives”. However, even today, finding the best method to ensure the protection of civilians according to the “rules of law” [2] and building trust between the two groups is still a common task for everyone. Security sector reform, or SSR, primarily requires two elements to maximize its effectiveness in transition countries; firstly, there must be integrated efforts by NGOs, civil and government movements in advocating for reform to raise funds more effectively and build trust, and secondly, we must implement effective measures such as merit-based selection or reform of the judicial branch to ensure the eradication of corruption or abuse of power in the security sector. The effectiveness of SSR could be mainly classified into three groups: firstly, the sufficiency of resources to bring about changes, secondly, the trust of host nation civilians and finally, the changes that are made in the field of security of villages. Currently, many government institutions... middle of paper... use Sierra Leone to encourage civilian participation in SSR, establish the Office of National Security which is taking the lead in national security change, and gain support from Great Britain could eventually reap the benefits of the SSR. [10] Furthermore, because El Salvador was able to radically reform the security sector and redefine the roles of the army and police, it ended up being a success story. [11] Therefore, to make SSR more effective and fruitful, three factors should be satisfied; first, built on trust between host country civilians and the security sector through active civilian participation; second, raising sufficient funds from aid from the global community and NGOs; and finally, the actual security sector reform measure. Only when there is mutual respect and trust between citizens and government, democracy becomes reality and peace exists.