Why Liberia?
By John Schidlovsky | November 12, 2010 | IRP
IRP Gatekeepers in action in Liberia. Photo: The Stanley Foundation
We’re almost mid-way through our IRP Gatekeeper Editors trip to Liberia, with an interview with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf scheduled for next week, as well as a trip “upcountry” to rural areas in the north of the country. So far, in our four full days in Monrovia, the capital, we’ve talked with dozens of Liberians and foreigners here about this country’s efforts to rebuild itself after one of the most devastating wars in recent history.
About 200,000 people were killed from 1990 to 2003, when warring factions brutally ripped apart the fabric of this West African country. Today, the country is in its seventh year of peace and President Sirleaf has declared her bid to run for a second term in elections next year that everyone we’ve talked to here says are crucial for the country’s bid for economic, political and social recovery. “That is really the moment for Liberians to show that they want peace,” said Ellen Margrethe Loj, the tough-talking chief of the UN Mission in Liberia, who heads up a force of 8,000 soldiers and 1,300 police who are here to keep the peace and help the country rebuild its institutions.
Can it be done? That’s why we’ve come here with 11 senior U.S. editors, some of whom come from American cities with large Liberian communities of exiles who fled Liberia during the fighting. Tonight we had a dinner with more than a dozen top Liberian cabinet ministers, most of whom had spent time in the U.S. during the conflict in their country. They recognize the huge obstacles Liberia faces – the country must rebuild its schools, hospitals, housing, courts, roads, factories and businesses, virtually every institution that a nation needs to provide security and hope for its citizens. Most of our previous IRP Gatekeeper trips were to under-covered countries with bright futures, rising powers like China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia. Liberia is different. It’s hit rock bottom and it’s only now starting to climb back. Over the next few weeks, you’ll see some of the stories and blogs from our Gatekeepers on our site. They’ll give you a sense of what’s happening here. And what’s likely to take place as Liberia struggles to provide a more peaceful and secure future for its three and a half million citizens.
Photo of IRP Gatekeepers in Liberia by the Stanley Foundation. See more photos on their Picasa photostream.