Liberia - 40.51
121
If only they could emulate everything about America
Liberia is often counted alongside Ethiopia as the only countries in Africa to never be colonized by a European power. However, Liberia counts only by technicality. Liberia was, in effect, colonized by the United States. In the early 19th century, Liberia was effectively set up as a colony for freed Black American slaves “repatriated” to Africa (often hundreds of miles and dozens of years separated from their ancestry). Liberia’s trajectory has been forever colored by American influence in the country. Today, it is felt most by the country’s chosen form of government. Liberia is governed by a democracy that is nearly an exact mirror of the United States. However, that is where the similarities end. Liberia is one of the world’s poorest countries, and especially concerning is the fact that the country’s economy was not growing before COVID. The nation struggles with tropical diseases and HIV/AIDS, exacerbated by a weak healthcare system. Hardly over a third of the country has access to clean, running water. Despite this, Liberia still shows promise. The country has made a lightning-paced recovery from its recent civil war, which only ended in 2003. The country has access to vast amounts of natural resources which, prior to the civil war, made up the majority of Liberia’s economy. Additionally, the government has made strides against corruption, further building upon the country’s already solid foundation for development.
Human Rights - 47
Liberia retains the death penalty under moratorium; the last execution was carried out in 1980. The bodyguards of President Weah assaulted journalist Zenu Miller as he left a sports stadium. Miller was hospitalized due to his injuries and later died. The government blocked autopsy requests and inquiries from his family. Liberian police have very high impunity, both on and off duty. Police brutality is common and off-duty police are known to get into bar fights regularly without facing disciplinary action. However, the government has performed more investigations against complaints of police brutality in recent years and several police officers have faced charges. The government has been accused of torture on several occasions but the government did not investigate. Torture is allegedly quite common in Liberian prisons. Monrovia Central Prison was at 400% capacity throughout 2020 and single-handedly held about half of the country’s entire prison population. All prisons, including Monrovia Central, faced occasional food and medicine shortages. Police sometimes made arrests without a warrant or probable cause. Detainees are often held in lengthy pretrial detention. Prisoners without access to lawyers were regularly denied bail. The ability to send cases to trial was regularly affected by the lack of a functioning court system in the country. Journalists were frequently subjected to intimidation and arbitrary arrest. The government often arrests journalists and releases them days later without charge. The government regularly interfered with the radio broadcasts of government critic Henry Costa. On several occasions, the government seized the broadcast station. The government also allegedly tampered with the broadcast, playing older clips of Costa praising the government. The government eventually suspended Costa’s broadcast license due to unpaid fees and inciting violence. The government frequently disperses protests after they have been held for too long, generally dispersing protests after two or three days. Ethnic Lebanese and Chinese struggle to obtain citizenship. Homosexuality is illegal. Abortion is legal to preserve the physical and mental health of the woman and in cases of rape, incest, and fetal impairment.
Democracy - 71
The president and congress are directly elected. Elections are generally free and fair, with a few noted irregularities. The National Electoral Commission (NEC) is generally incompetent and people born outside of Liberia frequently hold positions of power that they are not allowed to. Liberia has virtually no campaign finance laws. While the lack of enforcement favors large parties and incumbents elections remain competitive nonetheless. Presidential elections are dominated by the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) and the Unity Party (UP) but in the most recent election cycle the Liberty Party (LP) candidate placed in a distant third and forced a runoff. Third parties and independents hold seats in congress. Ethnic Lebanese and Chinese struggle to obtain citizenship and thus are often precluded from voting.
Freedom - 56
Journalists are frequently subject to intimidation and arbitrary arrest, often arrested and released days later without charge. he government regularly interfered with the radio broadcasts of government critic Henry Costa. On several occasions, the government seized the broadcast station. The government also allegedly tampered with the broadcast, playing older clips of Costa praising the government. The government eventually suspended Costa’s broadcast license due to unpaid fees and inciting violence. The government frequently disperses protests after they have been held for too long, generally dispersing protests after two or three days. The Liberia Telecommunications Authority began issuing five-year broadcasting licenses instead of one year. Some broadcasters were denied renewal but regulations are generally less stringent than before. Muslim community leaders allege discrimination in government appointments. President Weah has made attempts to reach out to Liberia’s Muslim minority. Liberian drug laws go unenforced as Liberia is a major part of the African Cocaine Run. Liberia may issue single-shot shotgun permits for hunting.
Economy - 16
Health - 8
Liberia has a life expectancy of 64 years and an infant mortality rate of 6.2%. 9.9% of Liberians are obese and 32% are malnourished. Liberia has very few hospitals outside Monrovia and the country is heavily reliant on MSF and missions. 38.2% of Liberians have access to clean, running water. Liberia has major issues with mosquito-borne tropical diseases, namely malaria. Liberia also has major issues with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
Corruption - 18
Liberian courts must be bribed into meeting. The court will not meet unless the defendant’s legal team pays a bribe. This results in lengthy pre-trial detention times for those that cannot pay. Judicial verdicts are bought and sold when court meets at all. A. Ndubusi Nwabudike was nominated to lead the NEC despite not being a fully naturalized Liberian citizen. Petty corruption remains pervasive in the country and public services are impossible to obtain without corruption where they are available at all. However, police corruption in Liberia is lower than in most neighboring countries. The government has been taking steps to prosecute corruption in recent years but corruption remains pervasive at all levels of government.
Competency - 1
Disease remains rampant in the country. The Liberian economy has been floundering for several years now. Significant portions of the population lack access to healthcare and running water. The government retains a number of unused laws. The cocaine trade runs rampant in Liberia. Many of Liberia’s issues can be traced to government incompetence.
Future - 60
Recent GDP contraction in Liberia is not a good sign, especially for a developing economy. The Liberian economy was shrinking before COVID. However, Liberia has made an excellent recovery from its recent civil war. The country remains a robust democracy and is likely to continue on this path.
Actions Abroad - 41
Liberia withdrew its recognition of Taiwan in favor of China after an extensive Chinese lobbying campaign in the UN and Chinese promises of foreign investment in the country. India is a major foreign investor in Liberia and in exchange Liberia has agreed to recognize the entirety of India’s claim to the Kashmir territory. Liberia restored its historically very close relationship with the United States after the end of the civil war. Liberia is a tax haven, but its tax haven status has primarily been used for ship registry as many ships operated by and in other countries are registered to Liberia.
44.4% of Liberians live below the international poverty line and 50.9% live below the national poverty line. 3.3% of Liberians are unemployed. Liberia has a very high economic disparity. The minimum wage in Liberia is $0.10 per hour. While Liberia guarantees universal healthcare, there are very few hospitals outside Monrovia and the country is heavily reliant on MSF and missions. The Liberian economy shrunk 2.9% in 2020 and 2.3% in 2019.