Solomon Islands was formerly under a British protectorate (from 1900) before becoming independent in 1978. Since then, the nation has been internationally recognised as a sovereign state with a self-ruling government based on the British Parliamentary system. Civil law runs concurrently with traditional customs which occasionally leads to conflicts of interest within the hierarchy of law.
Between 1998 and 2003 ethnic violence, crime and corruption undermined state stability. This conflict substantially pushed back developmental progress and had a crippling effect on the economy. Peace was restored with the arrival of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) but remnants of the tension still flare up on occasion. Governance regarding violence and conflict are in infancy.