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After almost three years in office President Charles Taylor’s international standing has improved but corruption, mismanagement and oppressive government have prevented Liberia from attracting donor funding to help it rebuild its shattered economy, Oxford Analytica said in a report dated 21 March.
Oxford Analytica argues that Taylor’s relations with the West and Nigeria have significantly improved as a result of his positive involvement in the Sierra Leone peace process. “Taylor’s respectability will increase over time, as the image of Taylor the president effaces that of Taylor the warlord,” it said.
On the other hand, Taylor’s failure to attract foreign aid could cause further social upheaval among those outside his network of patronage, Oxford Analytica noted. Military downsizing, extortion, freedom of speech and the smuggling of diamonds through Liberia are some of the issues which need to be addressed if the country is to attract more foreign investment, it said.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions