GPPi publishes article on peacebuilding in Liberia

GPPi Associate Director Thorsten Benner published an article on the state of peacebuilding in war-savaged Liberia. The piece, co-authored with Till Blume (University of Konstanz), appears in the December 2007 issue of ​“Internationale Politik,” Germany’s premier international affairs journal. The article takes stock of the efforts to rebuild the country which are supported by the 15.000 strong UN mission in Liberia. The efforts are led by the government of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa’s first freely elected female head of state.

Benner and Blume argue that while Liberia has made significant progress over the past 4 years, the situation is still extremely fragile. They review the key developments in the areas of peace and security, justice and reconciliation, economic development, health and education. One of the main challenges is tackling corruption which is by now deeply embedded in Liberian society. Another crucial stumbling block is the poisoned political culture in Liberia. Benner and Blume argue that in order to succeed Liberia needs to develop a responsible elite working toward realizing the promise of Liberia’s founding in 1847 (“The Love of Liberty Brought Us is Here”) for all citizens, not just the Monrovia elite as has been traditionally the case.

The article is a product of GPPi’s Learning to Build Peace project that is supported by the German Foundation for Peace Research (DSF). It is based on field research by the authors which was supported by the German United Nations Association. In the context of the Learning to Build Peace project, GPPi closely cooperates with the University of Konstanz.