What does Taylors indictment mean for Liberia?
Taylor, of course, was the mastermind — the godfather behind all of this killing. He used revenue from natural resources to create chaos in the region. The Taylor indictment, trial and prosecution represents a new day — not only for Liberia, but for Africa. It shows that if our leaders abuse the rights of their people, one day they will see the face of justice. And we are seeing the end of the culture of impunity in Africa. Are you hopeful about Liberia’s new president, Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson? She is the first African female president, and so far, so good. The first thing she did when she assumed the presidency was to cancel Liberia’s contracts with all of these timber companies that were polluting the environment and abusing human rights. Now, she has moved to try to put into place new procedures to promote transparency, accountability and the rule of law. That position is significant, because on the African continent, where cronyism is the basis of normal business with government, she