Liberation for Liberia? Liberia has suffered through 14 years of civil war. Now that troublemaker ex-President Charles Taylor is finally gone, could the nation at long last begin to heal its wounds?

Liberians have always thought of the United States as a protective older brother, so the sight of American warships off the coast of Monrovia, the country's capital, inspired hope. Eager to catch a glimpse of the mighty ships, droves of people rushed down to the city's beaches, where just a few days before they had buried their dead and foraged for snails to fend off starvation.

This was Liberia in the uneasy clays that followed President Charles Taylor's August 11 resignation and departure for exile: a mixture of great hope and great anxiety about the future after 14 years of civil war. According to a peace agreement signed by the government and the rebels, an interim government is scheduled to take over Liberia next month, paving the way for free elections and hopes of finally putting to rest the nation's troubles.

"We are, all of us, paralyzed by war," says Isaiah Doe, 24. "It will take years to erase the memory."

But Taylor's departure, while clearly an important step toward resolution, does not solve the many problems Liberia still faces in trying to restore some sense of normalcy. Will humanitarian groups be able to get food and medical supplies to the desperate citizens of Monrovia in time to avoid a large-scale disaster? Will the international peacekeepers be able to control the capital? Will the various sides pick up their weapons again? To what extent should the U.S. get involved? And ultimately, will the United Nations be able to disarm all the rebel factions and find a way to reintegrate them back into Liberian civil society?

"Liberia is a completely trashed country," says Tim Docking, an Africa specialist at the U.S. Institute of Peace. "The infrastructure has been tom out, and 6 percent of the population has been killed. And it's in a region that's destabilized."

NO FOOD, NO MEDICINE

Since the fight over the capital began in June, life in Monrovia has been miserable. With rebels controlling the port through which all food and goods enter the country, Liberians who lived in the part of the city under government control began to starve. With the lack of food and clean water, diseases like malaria and cholera started to spread. Meanwhile, the rebel-held side of the city had ample food but no medicines at all, and civilians wounded in the crossfire died of gangrene because there was no way to treat their wounds.

This summer's crisis was just the latest round of violence in the long civil war. At least 200,000 Liberians, mostly civilians, have died in the conflict since 1989. An estimated 1 million Liberians have been displaced. And approximately 30 percent of Monrovia's residents suffer from malnutrition.

There are no ideological differences fueling the destruction. The civil war has been primarily a power struggle between armed factions that connect to the Liberian government and rebel factions with ties to neighboring countries. With a trove of natural resources to fight over, this cycle of revenge has spread conflict across West Africa for more than a decade.

ONCE & LEADER IN AFRICA

How did the situation in Liberia become so tangled? Now a nation of 3 million people, Liberia was founded as a home for freed African-American slaves in 1820 (See "How American Slavery Led to the Birth of Liberia," page 25). Calling themselves Americo-Liberians, they placed themselves at the top of the social, economic, and political ladder, dominating the native Liberians. For decades Liberia was the only independent republic in West Africa, and it took a leading role on the continent.

Liberia remained relatively stable for 133 years, until a coup in 1980 that ousted an elected government and brought Samuel Doe to power. Doe, who was a native Liberian and grew up in poverty, was motivated by the social and economic inequality he saw between the two classes and wanted to end Americo-Liberian dominance over the country. The Doc dictatorship was backed strongly by the U.S., which saw Liberia as a key Cold War ally.

"A lot of people point to that as the beginning of Liberia's modern-day problem," Wynfred Russell, a Liberian and professor of African Studies at the University of Minnesota, says of the Doe dictatorship.

In 1989, a rebel uprising led by Charles Taylor, an Americo-Liberian, toppled the Doe regime; the next year, Doe was killed by a faction of rebels. As the rebels moved closer to Monrovia, they began to fight among themselves and with Taylor, and many civilians were caught in the crossfire. The country degenerated into chaotic fighting along ethnic lines. The fighting continued until 1996 when a truce was reached and the various rebel groups disarmed in preparation for national elections.

SOWING THE SEEDS OF CONFLICT

In October 1997, Charles Taylor won the Liberian presidency in a landslide election. The international community deemed Taylor's election free and fair, but Taylor never followed through with the peace agreement's requirement that he bring all the opposing tribal groups into his government. "All these guys who had fought him were not integrated into the system so they went back into the bushes and started their own rebellion against Mr. Taylor," Russell says, explaining the seeds of the current rebel movement.

As the brutal summer standoff in Monrovia seemed to ease with Taylor's resignation, attention turned to the question of whether the U.S. would engage more directly in bringing peace to this nation that is a peculiar American creation. The Bush administration has been hesitant to become too deeply involved. Officials have argued that the U.S. military is already spread too ibm around the globe and, besides, America has no vital national-security interest in Liberia. Three American warships are offshore with 2,300 Marines on board, but only a few hundred had taken up positions in Monrovia as of late August, and President Bush promised they would leave by October 1.

Liberians have pleaded with the U.S. to step in more forcefully, and the country's Roman Catholic archbishop called on the UN to send 15,000 troops. "Liberia is an American creation, and so we think that America has some moral obligation to help put back together 'all the pieces that have fallen apart," says Russell.

Regardless of whether the U.S. takes a more active role, Al-Hassan Conteh, editor of the Liberian Studies Journal and a Liberian, believes Liberia is ready for peace. "Right now there's a fatigue and everyone wants to turn the page and end the conflict," he says. "The key is seeing the emergence of a government that can address their legitimate needs."

But not everyone is so optimistic. "Don't underestimate the lawless nature of the entire region," warns Docking, the Liberia specialist at the U.S. Institute of Peace. "It's a house of cards right now, even with the UN presence.... This UN mission really isn't a silver bullet that's going to make every thing better."

1847

Liberia proclaims independence.

1926

The Firestone Tire Company sets up a rubber plantation in Liberia, establishing a deep economic link with the U.S. that continues for decades.

1946

The right to vote and run for office is extended to Liberia's indigenous people.

1946-89

Throughout the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, Liberia is a staunch U.S. ally, providing facilities for the U.S. military and spy operations in Africa.

1980

Military coup by Samuel Doe, a Liberian not of American descent, topples the republican government that had ruled since 1847.

1989

Charles Taylor, an Americo-Liberian, leads a rebellion that topples Doe. Civil War breaks out as various ethnic groups fight for control.

1997

Charles Taylor elected President.

2003

The violence escalates as rebel groups demanding Taylor's resignation hold Monrovia hostage. On Aug. 11, TayLor steps down and goes into exile. On Aug. 18, the rebels and the government sign a peace accord that calls for an interim government in October.

Liberia's American Flavor

Liberia has long-standing cultural ties to the United States. Here are a Jew examples:

STARS & STRIPES

The Liberian flag was medeled after the U.S flag. Its 11 stripes represent the 11 signers of Liberia's 1847 Declaration of Independence.

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MONEY

Until 1980, Liberians used U.S. dollars exclusively. Liberia now has its own local currency, but U.S. dollars are still used, even preferred.

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FOOD

A typical Liberian meal often includes American Southern favorites such as fried chicken, collard greens, and sweet-potato pie.

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POLICE

The Liberian National Police Force wears surplus New York City police uniforms.

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ARCHITECTURE

Many of Monrovia's older homes, often brick with broad verandas, are similar to those of America's Deep South.

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LESSON PLANS

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

* The article notes that Liberians think of the U.S. as a protective older brother. Does this mean that the U.S. has a special obligation to help Liberia?

* How would you answer a Liberian student who said the U.S. has not helped her country as much as it should?

TEACHING OBJECTIVES

To help students understand what's behind the violence in Liberia and why the U.S. feels a special obligation to assist the peacekeeping effort in that shattered West African country.

CLASSROOM STRATEGIES

PHOTO ANALYSIS: Ask students to study the photographs in the article. Then ask them to describe their reactions to each photo. What "story" does each photo tell? What do they think is going on in the minds of the people shown in the photos?

Look at the photo of the boy soldier on page 19. What does the use of children as soldiers say about the nature of Liberia's civil war? You might ask students to assume that they are directors of a public exhibit of these photos depicting events in Liberia. What title would they give the exhibit?

DISCUSSION: Address some of the issues mentioned in the article:

* The U.S. peacekeeping role in Liberia. Ask students to write a brief point-by-point outline citing the reasons for and against stationing peacekeeping troops in Liberia.

* U.S. support for the dictatorship of Samuel Doe. Tell students that during the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the West, the U.S. often supported dictators who opposed Communism. Discuss this policy. Was it wise to support anti-democratic dictators in the name of fighting Communism? Note the comment of Prof. Wynfred Russell. In what ways might dictatorship encourage the growth of a violent opposition to that dictatorship?

* Fighting along ethnic lines. Ask: Is conflict between ethnic groups unique to Liberia, or Africa? (The Catholic-Protestant violence in Northern Ireland comes to mind, as does historical racial enmity in the U.S.)

WEB WATCH: Two good sources of historic and current social, economic, and military information on Liberia are www.globalsecurity.org and www.cia.gov. The second is provided by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Click on "The World Factbook," then look to the "Country List" and scroll down to Liberia.

Upfront QUIZ 3

DIRECTIONS: Circle the letter next to the correct answer.

1. Two of Liberia's most serious problems are getting food and medical supplies to people and

a restoring communication with other countries.

b preventing rebels from using their weapons again.

c returning refuges who fled to the U.S.

d rebuilding war-ravaged government buildings.

2. The article questions whether the UN will be able to

a reintegrate rebel groups into society.

b punish members of Charles Taylor's government.

c find a new Liberian ambassador to the UN.

d restore Liberian agriculture.

3. Which of the following groups suffered the most deaths during Liberia's long civil war?

a government soldiers

b rebel soldiers

c soldiers sent to fight in Liberia by governments of neighboring Africa countries.

d Liberian civilians

4. Liberia's civil war has primarily been a struggle between

a pro- and anti-American groups.

b Communist and anti-Communist groups.

c groups who are simply fighting for power, not values.

d Liberian civilians and the Liberian military.

5. Many Liberians say their country's current strife evolved in large part as a result of

a the rule of a U.S.-supported dictator who grabbed power in 1980.

b infiltration from other African countries.

c the ravaging of Liberia's natural resources.

d the economic slowdown of the late 1990s.

6. Liberia's recent civil war erupted following President Charles Taylor's

a murder of members of his own ethnic group.

b failure to bring rival factions into his government.

c rejection of U.S. offers of foreign aid.

d seizure of the presidency in 1997.

ANSWER KEY

1. (b) prevent rebels from using their weapons again.

2. (a) reintegrate rebel groups into society.

3. (d) Liberian civilians

4. (c) groups who are simply fighting for power, not values.

5. (a) the rule of a U.S.-supported dictator who grabbed power in 1980.

6. (b) failure to bring rival factions into his government.