Liberia

Two African women from Liberia won the Nobel peace prize.

I was in Liberia before the first civil war broke out. It was a corrupt oligarchy, where the American-Liberians ran the place, and locals had little power or money.

I left/was thrown out just before the first civil war started there. (visa problems, and it was easier to return to the US and get a new visa than try to bribe folks to update it there). Two days later, they started an uprising, killed the president, and were shooting looters in front of the Hilton, where I used to disco dance. So I stayed safe at home, and wasn't there several months later when the US Marines had to evacuate all US citizens in August.


There was a terrible civil war, followed by "peace" when Charles Taylor "won" the election. This was followed by a second civil war, which is where the women played an active role in establishing peace.

But don't let the "peace and light" stuff fool you. It was the US Marines who were the tipping point. Without them, the African peacekeepers and these "peaceful" women would have had no chance.

Full article on my Makaipa blog.

And AlJazeerah has a good article on the real problems: corruption and the disconnect between the westernized elite and the poor.