International Community can not help Liberia now---
By: Alex Redd
Madison, WI
May 17, 2002

I, first of all, share the deep sense of patriotism with Mr. Billy Dee
Russell who pondered over a poignant question of whether it is an
international community conspiracy to abandon Liberia in the face of
crisis. As Liberia goes through these troubling times under criminal
predators, we must not loose sight of the need for total involvement to
provide solutions.

The fact remains that ethnic hatred, mistrust and lack of accountability
continue to pervade the Liberian society for a decade. Core countries,
especially the United States of America will continue to pay death ears
to Liberia, given the current global threats from perceived Arab
nations.

The current global conflict is the clash of modernity with traditional
values and institutions which apparently claim the attention of Western
core countries."America first" according to the late American President
Richard Nixon is the hallmark and doctrine of the American foreign
policy. Hence, Liberians would have to first recognize and realize the
essence and path to peace before any international efforts are
guaranteed.

America continues to put its heart and mouth where its treasure
lies---period! What does the U.S want from Liberia in the fight against
"terror"? Is Liberia geographically important for the U.S to use? I
would emphatically say no! A classic example of where the international
community failed to help is the Rwandan genocide of 1994.

Infact, the international community, especially the French government
under President Mitterand helped fuel the barbaric regime of the Hutus
ethnic group over the Tutsis. The perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide
went with impunity. The unequal distribution of aid in Rwanda also
formed part of the genocide with the French government providing money
and military hardware for Rwandan
authorities without realizing the empirical evidence of ethnic hatred
and mistrust among Rwandans.

Similar situation of support occurred in the 1985 presidential election
that was marred by fraud and other electoral irregularities under Samuel
Doe. The U.S government under Ronald Reagan pumped in millions of
dollars to prop up the Samuel Doe regime. It was the Cold War era with
America's interests above all else, to use the Liberian landscape for
its navigational satellite system
against communism. Should we continue to satisfy the interests of
foreigners without caring for our own destiny? Or should we just wait
for foreigners to direct our course of action for genuine peace? There
where the problem lies with dependency on foreign core countries for
help.
LET US LEARN HOW TO STAND UP AND HELP OURSELVES.

But, Liberia will rise again from the current mess, if we all join hands
and thrash out our differences through reconcilliation. Reconciliation
is the key to genuine peace and political stability. As journalists, it
is our challenge to champion the cause for genuine peace and tranquility
through education and public awareness campaigns in order to help our
countrymen realize that ethnic
hatred, violence and sporadic destruction of our infrastructures are the
opposite to attainment of peace, harmony and stability.

Until Liberians can disarm themselves of such gun-totting mentality by
realizing fantasy from reality, we should not elect to see the
international community as a beacon of hope to restore lasting and
genuine peace in our country. It is Liberian themselves who must first
distinguish fantasy from reality! The road to peace is attainable, if we
create an atmosphere of brotherly love for each other
by engaging in constructive practices of democratic values and habits.

The need to respect the sanctity of human life, civil liberties, the
national law of the land, preservation of free speech among other basic
life necessities are the basic ingredients to restore dignity to our
beloved Liberia. There is a need for the political society to work
harmonously with the civil society and the economic society to promote
growth and development in Liberia. All of these democratic values are
pragmatic if we have an effective and efficient
bureaucracy. Nationalism is the crux to national growth and development!

For example, East Asia countries such as Tiawan and South Korea
triumphed in the midst of economic and political adversities. If South
Africa, a segregated nation for decades can rise above the lines of
hatred, mistrust and ethnic discrimination, what's about Liberia?  The
time has come that Liberia rise above all else.

The need for neo-populism policies that will target the informal sector
and destitute people of the Liberian society must be a priority. The
income distribution gap between the haves and have-nots continue to
widened. Liberia needs a populist leader with a sizeable and effective
bureaucracy of inclusion that will raise the standard of living of the
improverished people!

Since the bottle neck of one-class rule was broken in 1980, why has
Liberia degenerated into chaos and mayhem? Greed, corruption, hatred and
personal aggrandizement of power without regard for important role of
the civil society, foment the current vicious circle of violence today
in Liberia. We all have to get along by realizing our problems and
differences for resolution before our international friends can help.

As we meet for the Liberian journalists conference in Washington D.C on
May 24, 2002, it would be the perfect time to comprehensively discuss
some of Liberia's troubling problems as we define our distinct role as
watch dogs of the society.

With the presence of an African affairs representative from the U.S
State Department at the upcoming ALJA conference, we have the
opportunity to call the U.S attention to the impeding factors that tend
to undermine progress of peace and stability in Liberia. Let's morally
rally together to chart a new course of unity to restore the dignity and
undeniable rights and role of the civil
society---the need to thrash out our differences and discourage the
gun-totting mentality that tend to engulf our nation. With willing
hearts to pursue lasting peace through civilized means without
repressive violence and brutality, Liberia will once again get on the
way to political, socioeconomic recovery.

Let's champion the cause for a robust civil society that will create an
atmosphere of checks and balances as well as proposals to improve the
living conditions of our improverished nation and its people.

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