What should the U.S. government be doing to support democracy and human rights in Liberia?
I hope that the Bush administration will pursue not only a sanctions policy, but also adopt other measures that would help to ensure greater tolerance for dissent and respect for human rights. Besides backing the sanctions, the U.S. government should increase its support for pro-democracy and human rights groups that are articulating an agenda for greater support for human rights and for greater participation by the people in decision making. It should also call on Mr. Taylor to release all political prisoners and journalists and stop his support of the rebels in Sierra Leone and Guinea. What is the present state of Liberia’s economy? The Liberian economy is in shambles. It is controlled by a fiefdom of Taylor and his close associates. Little investment is coming in from the outside. Unemployment levels are high, and as a result there is a mass exodus from the country. Families are disintegrating, with women turning to prostitution to survive and boys joining the security forces as the
