Charles Taylor’s out, if not down. Liberia lies in ruins. Thousands of Marines lie off-shore. Some see this is the test case, for America’s policy to Africa, and a window on the Bush-men’s attitude to race. Other say no, this is an African problem, Africa should solve it. Two views, same corner.
African-Americans are divided on Liberia, Zimbabwe, and the U.S. moral duty to the whole continent. South Africa was easy, the bad guys were white, the good guys were black. Apartheid, deep south segregation, exported. The hero was Mandela. But when the villains are black — the case is less clear. Sankoh of Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe’s Mugabe and Taylor too, once found favor with the Black Caucus on the Hill.
Guests:
Salih Booker, Executive Director of Africa Action, a nonprofit organization concerned with American foreign policy in Africa
Representative Donald Payne, (D) N.J., ranking member of the International Relations Subcommittee on Africa and past chairman, Congressional Black Caucus