When it comes to the bloodshed, and political upheaval in Liberia, all eyes are on the US. Liberia, the West African nation, was founded by freed American slaves in the mid-19th century, and it is now caught in a downward spiral of chaos and killing.
President Charles Taylor is holed up in the capital of Monrovia. Rebel groups are trying to overthrow him. Caught in the middle are thousands of civilians with no running water, food, or medical care. Now, as President Bush prepares to leave for Africa next week, many are calling on the United States to send soldiers to make and keep the peace. But with boots on the ground already in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the shadow of Somalia still hanging heavy, America would first have to come to terms with its reluctance to interfere in Africa.
Guests:
William Reno, Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University, author of “Warlord Politics and African States,”
John Prendergast, Co-Director of the Africa Program at the International Crisis Group in Washington DC.
Greg Barrow, UN correspondent for the BBC
Patrick Seyon, research fellow at Boston University’s African Studies Center, and former president of the University of Liberia.