Liberia under Samuel Doe, 1980–1985

Liberia under Samuel Doe, 1980–1985 PDF

Author: Yekutiel Gershoni

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2022-03-28

Total Pages: 395

ISBN-13: 1793617880

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On April 12, 1980, a group of soldiers led by Master Sergeant Samuel K. Doe executed a bloody coup that put an end to the Americo-Liberian minority regime in Liberia, transforming Africa’s first republic into a military dictatorship. In Liberia under Samuel Doe, 1980-1985: The Politics of Personal Rule, Yekutiel Gershoni examines the evolution and effects of Samuel K. Doe’s reign in Liberia. Gershoni shows Doe’s path to absolute power, corruption, and dictatorship and the economic crises and political turmoil that ensued, even after his murder in 1990. Liberia under Samuel Doe also examines the role of the United States as Liberia’s closest ally, detailing how Doe managed to attract American diplomatic and military support due to U.S. interests in the Cold War. Through in-depth research, primary sources, and interviews with diplomats, politicians, and activists, Gershoni carefully details the timeline of Doe’s rise to power and the lasting effects of his dictatorial legacy.

Peacebuilding and Ex-Combatants

Peacebuilding and Ex-Combatants PDF

Author: Johanna Söderström

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-12-17

Total Pages: 217

ISBN-13: 1317649397

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The book examines how ex-combatants in post-war and peacebuilding settings engage in politics, as seen in the case of Liberia. The political mobilization of former combatants after war is often perceived as a threat, ultimately undermining the security and stability of the state. This book questions this simplified view and argues that understanding the political voice of former combatants is imperative. Their post-war role is not black and white; they are not just bad or good citizens, but rather engage in multiple political roles: spoilers, victims, disengaged, beneficiaries, as well as motivated and active citizens. By looking at the political attitudes and values of former combatants, and their understanding of how politics functions, the book sheds new light on the political reintegration of ex-combatants. It argues that political reintegration needs to be given serious attention at the micro-level, but also needs to be scrutinized in two ways: first, through the level of political involvement, which reflects the extent and width of the ex-combatants’ voice. Second, in order to make sense of political reintegration, we also need to uncover what values and norms inform their political involvement. The content of their political voice is captured through a comparison with democratic ideals. Based on interviews with over 100 Liberian ex-combatants, the book highlights that their relationship with politics overall should be characterized as an expression of a 'politics of affection'. This book will be of much interest to students of peacebuilding, African politics, democratization, political sociology, conflict resolution and IR/Security Studies in general.

Liberian Politics

Liberian Politics PDF

Author: Hanes Walton

Publisher: Lexington Books

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 468

ISBN-13: 9780739103449

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Liberian Politics tells the fascinating story of Liberia's early nation-building efforts, its attempts to establish democracy, and the pivotal role played by African Americans in exporting the American democratic experiment to Liberia. The story of the rise of Africa's oldest democracy is told through the writings of J. Milton Turner, an African American diplomat who served in Liberia from 1871 to 1878. Turner's official diplomatic correspondence--superbly organized and edited by Walton, Rosser, and Stevenson--document Liberia's struggle to define its political institutions and processes. They chart Liberia's struggle to establish its relationship with the wider world and offer an intimate portrait of Turner's role as the agent of U.S. foreign policy in Liberia. A comparative study in the best tradition of Tocqueville and Myrdal, this pathbreaking work reveals the global dimensions of nineteenth-century African American politics and offers rich insight into the direction of early U.S. diplomacy in Africa.

Popular Political Culture, Civil Society, and State Crisis in Liberia

Popular Political Culture, Civil Society, and State Crisis in Liberia PDF

Author: John Charles Yoder

Publisher: Edwin Mellen Press

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 420

ISBN-13:

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This work focuses on deeply embedded political values that are shared by the vast majority of Liberia's population. Its conclusions are that Liberian politics failed because of civil society's illiberal overemphasis on stability and order at the expense of tolerance and accountability.

Christianity and Politics in Doe's Liberia

Christianity and Politics in Doe's Liberia PDF

Author: Paul Gifford

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2002-05-16

Total Pages: 368

ISBN-13: 9780521520102

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This study examines the role of Christianity in Liberia under the corrupt regime of Samuel K. Doe (1980-1990). Paul Gifford shows that, in general, Liberian Christianity--far from being a force for justice and human advancement--diverted attention from the cause of Liberia's ills, left change to God's miraculous intervention, encouraged obedience and acceptance of the status quo, and thus served to entrench Doe's power. This Christianity, devised in and controlled from the United States, thus furthered regional American economic and political objectives, which were designed to support Doe's rule.

George Weah Taking on 170-Year Challenges of Liberia

George Weah Taking on 170-Year Challenges of Liberia PDF

Author: Moses Kulo

Publisher: Page Publishing Inc

Published: 2018-08-22

Total Pages: 25

ISBN-13: 1642982385

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George Weah: Liberia's most celebrated world icon and elected president is on a mission. He positions himself to take on 170-year social inequality, economic, political, corrupt, and other institutional challenges of Liberia. Would Weah accomplishes his vision for Liberia?

Corruption Is Destroying Africa

Corruption Is Destroying Africa PDF

Author: Gabriel I.H. Williams

Publisher: Trafford Publishing

Published: 2019-07-23

Total Pages: 773

ISBN-13: 1490795707

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This book is intended to contribute to the ongoing discourse about Liberia or about Africa, which has often left people perplexed. According to a 2013 World Bank report, Africa has 30 percent of the world’s minerals and proven oil reserves equivalent to 10 percent of global stock. How is it that Africa, which has such enormous mineral and oil wealth, is the poorest continent in the world? A similar question would suffice for Liberia, which became independent since 1847, has been a sovereign nation for over 170 years but is ranked as one of the poorest countries in the world. This is irrespective of the fact that the country is endowed with abundant natural resources. Accordingly, I herewith submit that Africa or Liberia is not poor but poorly managed, and that corruption is a major source of bad governance, widespread poverty and instability on the continent. There can be no question that corruption is like a cancer eating at the vitals of Africa, my beloved country Liberia being one of the worst affected on the continent. This is why this book is titled, Corruption is Destroying Africa: The Case of Liberia. Because of corruption, critical public services such as health and education have remained in a state of dysfunction.