NEC Chairman Jerome Korkoyah

Liberia's 2017 Elections to be Presided Over by Individual Who Lacks Integrity
By John H. T. Stewart Jr.
With a crowded field of over twenty Presidential candidates and just about twice as many legislative candidates, no can rule out the possibility of legal challenges arising before the Supreme Court whose credibility was severely eroded by its recent decisions on the Code of Conduct. But just why President Sirleaf has allowed or encouraged such blatant violation of the country’s electoral laws to persist, although being fully aware that Korkoya, as a U.S. national is legally incompetent over the elections, is the question she must answer to posterity.

"The Future of Democracy and Governance in Liberia."
We remember the horrors of Charles Taylor, his brutal regime in Liberia, and his support of the vicious rape, mutilation, and murder of tens of thousands of people in Sierra Leone and the region. When I chaired the Africa Subcommittee, we worked diligently, and across party lines, to send a clear, unified message - Charles Taylor must be brought to justice. And against the odds, he was.
Now, years later, we have seen some impressive growth in Liberia. The U.S. has invested to rebuild, and support democratic institutions. As a nation confronted with immense political, economic, security, and development challenges, Liberia has persevered

Jonathan K. Weedor Commissioner, NEC

NEC Commissioner Jonathan Weedor Decries Chairman Korkorya’s Scam That Will Lead To Rigged 2017 Elections In Liberia
Position Statement Issued By Commissioner Weedor
On 14 Ju.ne 2017 at a Press Conference, NEC Chairman Jerome Korkoya announced that individuals with Voter Cards who are not captured or  listed on the final Registration Roll will be permitted to vote during the pending October 10, 2017 Elections. Chairman Korkoya’s statement was in response to the alarming problems associated with the current provisional Registration Roll as discovered during the ongoing exhibition exercise. It is important to emphasize that the essence of the exhibition exercise is to provide individuals who participated in the Voter Registration exercise the opportunity to vet the provisional Roll aimed at establishing a final Registration Roll that is reliable and credible

Is America Still A Beacon Of Light To Other Nations?
By Dr. Alon Ben-Meir
We do not need President Trump to tell us that he can make America great again. America is already great. The problem is that we are squandering our greatness by pursuing foreign and domestic policies that debase our moral authority and the values that made America great in the first place. We must change course, but for that we need leaders with vision, courage, and determination which is sorely lacking. The best and the brightest who can in fact chart a new path have become disillusioned with politics, making the prospect of renewal increasingly difficult. It is time for every American patriot to raise their voice and remind one another of what makes America a great nation and what it stands for.

Edward Wilmot Blyden

Edward Wilmot  Blyden's Contribution to Intellectual History: Transcending Gender, Race, and Ethnicity
By Dr. Murv L. Kandakai Gardiner
As we seek to complement the efforts of our champions of education in Liberia by coming home to participate in the comprehensive nation's building that our president has envisaged and perennially encouraged, let us resist becoming intellectually lethargic and myopic  by focusing on the major contribution to intellectual history by the nation's premier educator, Edward Wilmot Blyden. In this essay, as a psychologist, I shall be making the case that one of Blyden's major contributions to intellectual history was his quest to decolonize the African mind in order to mediate and resuscitate the African personality

The Matilda Newport Historical Lie

Continuing Liberia’s Ugly Past
By Siahyonkron Nyanseor
World “History was designed to justify European domination”, wrote historian Richard Poe. Similar case can be made that the history of Liberia (Settlers’ history) was written to promote antebellum southern plantation culture and religious heritage without regards to the indigenous population (natives) who first occupied the land.

A Letter to Liberia: I do not believe you are ready for Elections
By Jacob Seyon Kwateh
I have been deeply moved to write you this letter concerning the upcoming elections in Liberia. And, with love and grave concern, I am persuaded to write you this letter letting you know that I do not believe that you are ready for elections this October, 2017. I would argue there are some unresolved and lingering issues and if not addressed adequately, these issues have the potential to derail our movement toward sustainability and hinder our ability to develop our human resources and infrastructure.

Liberian Journalism at a Crossroads
By Joe Bartuah
How many of our compatriots are aware that a Liberian journalist played a pivotal role in erecting the quintessentially aspirational architecture of our nation state? Just peruse the brilliantly crafted wording of the foremost foundational document of Liberia, otherwise known as the Declaration of Independence. Who minted that inspiring national vision? Was it Elijah Johnson, one of the venerable politicians at that time?

Charlie Brumskine with Charlie Taylor

Brumskine and the Native-Congua Debate
By Jerry Wehtee Wion
So, who actually started or reignited the dreaded Natives versus Congua divide in this election?  I certainly did, and Mr. Joseph Nyumah Boakai have been blamed by Liberty Party presidential candidate Charles Walker Brumskine of making this ugly divide in our history a campaign issue.  I will set the record straight.Mr. Brumskine is like the proverbial man who lives in a glass house and throws stones at by-passers, and cries wolf when the by-passers return his favor.This hypocrisy by Brumskine needs to be exposed after he and the Congua have thrived on this divide at the expense of the native majority since the beginning of our nationhood nearly 200 years now.

Liberian Currency

What Are The Implications Of A “Single Currency” For The Next Government And Liberian People?
By: James Thomas-Queh
In the midst of uncertain general elections an important law has been passed by the House of Representatives to make “Liberia a single currency country.”  Astonishingly, hardly anybody or even the Presidential candidates said anything on the timing or the possible impact of such a crucial law on the  economy  and lives of the Liberian people. Yes, I am no economist, but I think there are some very pertinent questions to be aware – if the next government is to avoid a harder economic landing.

Senator Varney Sherman

A Memo To Team Boakai
By Jerry Wehtee Wion
Senator Varney Sherman has drawn the "Red Line" in the sand telling President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to literally get lost that the presidential campaign of VP Joseph Nyumah Boakai " does not need her support" means it is going to be a bloody fight to the finish. So be vigilant till the end. This is what many of us who support Mr. Boakai have been saying the last few years. But the honorable and respected Mr. Boakai will not come out ranging as Senator Sherman. Others must do the dirty work for him and Sherman is quite suited for the fight. It is one thing for Ellen to dabble in her lip service and lukewarm support for Mr. Boakai, while at the same time, she is still encouraging the exodus of party hierarchies to leave the party. This disdain and contempt for Mr. Boakai by Ellen is so apparent for all to see.

President Donald Trump

An Open Letter To President Trump
Dr. Alon Ben-Meir
I find it extremely hard to call you “President Trump” because sadly for America, you neither act like a president nor speak like one. You neither have the moral authority that a president needs to project, nor the courage of one. You have neither the vision of an enlightened president, nor the diplomatic savvy of one. You have neither the capacity to lead the nation as president, nor the competence of one. You have neither the credibility that the president must enjoy, nor the ability to get things done. You have neither the stability that the president must demonstrate, nor the consistency of one. You do not have the country’s interest at heart like a president, nor the grasp of what America’s role in world is all about. Here is why:

Society’s Response to Corruption in Liberia: “A Lip Service?”
By: Baba Sillah
Corruption is a serious threat to the Liberian society. Like a vicious disease it tears away at the systems and institutions that should work to address national development challenges like illiteracy, health-delivery care, unemployment, among several. Society is being robbed of scarce and valuable resources that can be used to undertake substantive development transformation by some individuals in positions of public trust. Howbeit, the threat of corruption is not delimited to individuals in positions of public trust, it slithers through society with almost every known established institutional structure including the family, being suspicious and needing some form of query.

Robert Lee Statue, Charlotteville

Decapitating Jim Crow Monument: A Movement to Forming a More Perfect Union
By: J. Patrick Flomo
The Charlottesville awakening has reignited the Organic nature of the constitution (the Liberal view) as opposed to the Divinity scripture text (Originalist view) of the Constitutional interpretation (in this case) the First Amendment (freedom of expression and assembly) --- the fundamental principle of the American Constitution, i.e. Charlottesville v Jason Kessler.  The ACLU supported Unite the Right organizer Jason Kessler in court (because the First Amendment protect all speech) after city officials tried to revoke his protest permit (CNBC).

West Point, Liberia

Ghetto And Slum Politics?
By Bai M. Gbala, Sr.
After their dismal, historic 133-year failure to deliver the Republic of Liberia from the problem political under-development – poverty, illiteracy, hunger, healthcare deficiency, rampant corruption and national transport/communication (the Premier Multiplier Effect) for national economic development;  and after their historic civil war nightmare of Warlords, rebel war graduates of Looters, human rights Violators/Killers with impunity during their 12-year failure to deal, efficiently/effectively, with the problems of the nation’s critical needs, including the-now roaring corruption, the dreaded True Whig Party Rulers now called “opposition politicians” turned to  “SLUM DEMOCRACY”.

American Passports and Green Cards with “Dry Face” Easily Infiltrated a Leaky Elections System: Prototype of an Audacity to Bamboozle a Sovereign Nation
By Moses Blonkanjay Jackson
I considered recent confusion generated by claims and counter claims regarding Liberians who are holders of American passports. Overtime, it has been alleged that these citizens of the United States of America, instead of fronting for political positions in their country, have surged on Liberia and qualified by the National Elections Commission (NEC) to vie for presidential and legislative seats. While focus is on American passports, there is another group who are “green card” holders in possession of US and Liberian voting cards; they are either in government, or in the race. Suffice these claims to be true, it can be safely declared that these people have “Dry Face”; they are shameless, and brave enough to infiltrate the leaky NEC elections system and bamboozle our sovereign nation.

President Sirleaf

Beware Of The Dangerous, Cunning, Manipulative And Flippant Liberian President
By Jerry Wehtee Wion
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia is playing the Russian Roulette game; very dangerous, cunning, manipulative, while looking for a soft landing for her immunity from prosecution. Buyers beware of the "Ellen Curse" for it is contagious and deadly and a losing game The Ellen Curse propelled George Manneh Weah to victory in the 2014 Montserrado County senatorial race when Weah crushed Ellen's son Robert Sirleaf.The Curse has now entrapped Charles Brumskine and lately, George Manneh Weah. Thus, this election is all Joseph Boakai to win if Mr. Boakai can distance himself from Ellen and clearly state his positions on the GAC audits, TRC Report, NOCAL bankruptcy and the need for a comprehensive audit, a promise to cut the fat salaries of government officials by 50% starting with his own salary, the need to audit the over $30 million dollars Executive Mansion renovation funds, and a take-no-prisoners approach to fighting corruption.

Reaction To “House Passes Land Right (Act) Law”
Liberian History tell us that there were two groups of people with different historical experience - socio-political and economic – who founded the new nation. One group was the African-Americans, emancipated, freed people of color from the North, South Americas and other slave-holding states. They came and settled on this land of their ancestors, a flight from slavery, race, socio-cultural, political discrimination-segregation, servitude and human bondage, in search of human freedom, justice and equality, on a land of their own.  The other group was the African-Africans, though on their own land, but also a flight, metaphorically, from autocratic, despotic rule by African tribal chiefs, monarchs and slave merchants, who sold their own people to western slave traders. Theirs, also, was in search of human freedom, justice and equality.

Trump’s “New” Strategy In Afghanistan Is Doomed To Fail
By: Dr. Alon Ben-Meir
President Trump’s new strategy that would presumably win the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan is doomed to fail, just like Bush’s and Obama’s before him. At best, the reported dispatch of an additional 4,000 American troops as recommended by his security chiefs will prevent the total collapse of Afghanistan and thwart the Taliban from winning. Given the complex nature of the conflict, however, the status quo will not change in any significant way.

The Lone Star Banner: Waving Gracefully over the Vicissitudes of History in Transition
By Moses Blonkanjay Jackson
In my thinking thoughts, I retrospect the trend in the history of Liberia and how we would soon be gliding into a peaceful smooth transition after a long haul in our history. I retrospect the divisiveness wrought by the Americo-Liberian supremacy doctrine that birthed confusion, malice, wars, and the resultant gross mistrust and lack of transparency that have become ours. Despite this retrospection, my pain was soothed by the mere fact that through all the vicissitudes or changes of our history, whether it was war or peaceful assembly, political filibustering or arm twisting; whether it was corruption and squandering of the nation’s wealth, nepotism or abuse of human rights or respect for rule of law

Liberian legislature must ensure Lands Rights Act protects rural landowners
A Statement Issued By Global Witness
Global Witness calls upon the Liberian legislature to pass a Land Rights Act (LRA) that protects the land rights of rural Liberians and reject any versions of the LRA that strip rights from these communities. Jonathan Gant, Global Witness campaigner said: “The LRA, if passed, should recognise that communities own their land and ensure local communities – and only local communities – have the power to say where their lands are and how they should be managed.” Global Witness believes that any Act that does not protect the ownership and management rights of rural landowners should be rejected by the legislature. If the legislature passes a law that does not protect these rights, the law should be vetoed by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Syria: A Testament To International Moral Bankruptcy
By Dr. Alon Ben-Meir
Much has been written about Syria’s civil war which has engulfed the country for the past six years, but sadly the mounting death and destruction in Syria has long since become mere statistics. The international community grew comfortably numb to the horror, the likes of which we haven’t seen since World War II. Both internal and external players have been nurturing their vested interests by prolonging the deadly conflict, hoping to improve their position to serve their long-term objectives. The irony is that none of the external main players - Russia, Iran, US, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia - and the domestic actors (the Assad regime, Sunnis, and Kurds) will end up with such lasting gains that outweigh the horrifying losses that have been inflicted on the country and its citizens.

The Matilda Newport Historical Lie

Liberia’s Congor and Country Divide Is What Racism is to America!
By Siahyonkron Nyanseor
There is this African proverb that says: “The first thing a person who is about to travel put in the suitcase, is his/her behavior”. A person’s or a group’s behavior cannot be hidden for long. This was the case with the former slaves that migrated to present day Liberia in search of freedom and dignity; yet they brought with them the inhumane prejudices they

VP Boakai (L) & Speaker Nuquay (R)

Unity Party Campaign "Dream Team": Where Is The Platform?
Editorial
At last, a campaign team for VP Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s bid for the presidency in the ensuing 2017 General Elections has been constituted. Considered in some quarters as his dream team, it comprises high - profile Boakai supporters, and we are told that more names may be added to the list. In a word, this is a good start although it is apparently a little too late. But, we would have imagined, what Liberians and Boakai well-wishers want is not a mere list of names comprising, perhaps, a combination of credible and corrupt individuals alike lining up for a job fair. Liberians are longing for a plausible cum achievable platform, an expressed set of core goals about how the VP is going to tackle the country’s numerous socio-economic and political problems if elected a successor to President Sirleaf.

Who Will Be Liberia’s Next Imperial President And How?
By James Thomas-Queh
I had been wondering why an American official made a statement recently that the United States does not support anyone candidate in the Liberian elections. Now I guess it was to pre-empt the Madam that as a “democratically” elected President she should not be going around like some dictator telling her “colleagues” who will inherit her throne. Instead, she should have been reassuring them that the Liberian voters were mature and wise enough to elect the best leader to succeed her and rule the country effectively.

Contribution to the Ongoing Debate over Dual Citizenship
By Kpan S. Dinko
The intense conversation regarding dual citizenship reminds me of the Liberian proverb, “Teeth and tongue may fight; they cannot separate”. Indeed, how many times during their occasional battles in our mouths haven’t we felt an excruciating pain? You see, when God created man, by design, God intended each part of His handmade to work together. One may ask, why? The answer is found in that aforementioned proverb. And, for example, organs such as the mouth, cheek, tongue, teeth and throat need each other like links on an assembling line in a manufacturing plant. Thus in order for them to perform as Our Almighty Father stipulated they have to cooperate

The Kurds’ Treatment In Turkey Is Indefensible
By Dr. Alon Ben-Meir
The below article is a response to a public letter written by Ibrahim Kurtulus, criticizing my previous article about the plight of the Kurds in Turkey. Kurtulus is a member of the Federation of Turkish American Associations, Inc. You can find a link to his letter in full here.

Liberia’s 170th Independence Day Oration, “Sustaining the Peace” by Herman Brown
Reaction by Joseph Johnson
The Orator has a good topic for all Liberians, especially for those who the political and the social system has cruelly relegated to the rank of chronic poverty and growing inequality in our midst. But my great disappointment is that Dr. Browne has killed my interest in his oration when he chose to use a contemptuous Liberian national anthem as thesis statement for his topic: “with hearts and hands our country’s cause defending; we meet the foe with valor unpretending.” I make this argument for reason simple and clear is that the national anthem contains bitter and hateful language of ungrateful Konguah or Americo-Liberians.

Jerome Korkoyah

Liberia October 10, 2017 Elections May Be Undermined By A Flawed Voters Registration Process And Unreliable Voters Roll
By John H.T. Stewart Jr
This piece is intended as a wake-up call to all civil society leaders including religious leaders, political leaders and aspirants in the upcoming elections to look ahead to see the immense potential danger that awaits us as a nation if we do not correct the huge mistakes made in the Voters Registration exercise that have now produced a non-credible and highly unreliable Voters roll.

Ending Iraq’s Humanitarian Crisis
By Dr. Alon Ben-Meir
Iraq, once the cradle of civilization, has and continues to experience one of the most horrific violent conflicts in modern history that defies any semblance of civilized humanity. It is hard to imagine the mammoth death and destruction that has been inflicted on the Iraqi people by foreign powers and domestic terrorism. Yet, the country can still overcome the horrors of the past 14 years, provided its leaders correctly reassess the changing regional and domestic dynamics and agree to allow all Iraqis, regardless of their sect and cultural orientation, to choose their own political and civil structure.

Philip Robinson (A Liberian Soccer Star)

Saying Goodbye to Philip Fanieh Robinson, a Liberian Football Giant
By Benedict Nyankun Wisseh
In recent years, the Liberian football community has lost some of its most prominent individuals to death in recent years. Those who have travelled that road gently are Mass Sarr, Garretson Sackor, John “Monkey” Brown, George Sackor, Gladstone Ofori, David Momo, Philip “Cocha” Davis, etc. They have now been joined by Mr. Philip Robinson. Mr. Robinson’s family, with the deepest of sadness, announced to the public that he passed away on July 14, 2017, at the Hopkins Manor Nursing Home in Providence, Rhode Island.

Abraham and the Angels: Rembrandt at the Frick Collection
By Sam Ben-Meir, Ph.D
Visitors to the Frick Collection in New York City will likely be familiar with the magnificent Self Portrait (1658) of Rembrandt that hangs in the main gallery. The artist presents himself as an imposing father-figure, like some patriarch of old. His dress is formal, and utterly distinctive – a gold apron, a red sash – while his prominent and imposing hands proclaim his trade. And yet beneath that intimidating, almost royal, exterior is an unmistakable vulnerability, a strength borne of having suffered life's calamities, and emerged from the awful trials that the world inflicts upon one and all.

Open Letter to:  All Liberian Nationalists, Progressives, Clergy and Patriots
By J. Patrick Flomo
Eight score and ten years ago, Liberia was conceptualized, conceived, and birthed as the land of freedom, liberty, and dignity of man. For the freed black American slaves, it symbolized release from the scourge and the bondage of human slavery in the American South. The American Colonization Society (ACS) established this new nation, the second black Republic in history, on the West Coast of Africa, bringing the autochthonous into the realm of western civilization. 

Speaker Emmanuel Nuquay

Open Letter To Speaker Emmanuel Nuquay
By Martin K. N. Kollie
Liberia Belongs to Liberians – As the House of Senate violates Chapter V Article 34 of our Constitution to protect foreign interest; the House of Representatives must reject US$59.5 million Pre-Financing Loan Agreement in favor of a bogus Chinese-owned Company, East International Group Incorporated.

Liberia: Transformative Social Change Through Youth Development and Sustainable Agriculture
By Francis W. Nyepon
The most vital and clear-cut pathway to propelling transformative social change and inclusive growth in Liberia is through youth development and sustainable agriculture. It is no secret that agriculture is the backbone of our economy with over 80% of our people living in abject poverty, earning less than US$2 per day, and relying primarily on small-scale subsistence farming as their primary source of income, food, nutrition and survival.

The Euphoria Of Independence Day Celebrations
By Bai M. Gbala, Sr.
On yesterday, Wednesday, July 26, 2017, we, Liberians, celebrated the 170th Birth Anniversary of the Liberian Political State, with the usual, historical pomp and pageantry. The back-slapping, family gatherings, gifts-giving and merry-making festivities of self-praise, feel-good and self-glorification now leading to another political hoopla for vote-rigging planned for the forthcoming general and Presidential Elections, scheduled for October, 2017.

Gaza - A Disaster In The Making
By Professor Alon Ben-Meir
It has been ten years since Hamas defeated the Palestinian Authority in Gaza and assumed control over the territory. Today, the socio-economic conditions in Gaza are so horrendous that if nothing is done immediately, the whole area is bound to explode in the face of Hamas, Israel, and the international community. When that happens, you can count on Israel’s and Hamas’ leaders to blame the other for allowing the situation to deteriorate to this perilous point. Both sides are equally guilty of an egregious betrayal of their own people.

Consolidating Sustainable Liberian Communities in the Diaspora
By Dr. Al-Hassan Conteh, Ph.D
I would like to thank the Executive Governor Kaduna State, His Excellency Malam Ahmad Nasir El-Rufai, for the kind hospitality that his dynamic government accorded me and my delegation, and the Organization of Liberian Communities in Nigeria (OLICON) in Nigeria to facilitate its second annual convention in this productive city of Kaduna.  The relationship between Kaduna and Liberia may be seen in the role Kaduna State and its leaders have played in promoting the bilateral relations of Nigeria and Liberia...

Liberian Presidency Transfer: “Who Owns Papa’s Land?”
By J. Yanqui Zaza
Hopefully, Liberian Presidency will be transferred on October 10, 2017 to a Native person or a Congo person. Appropriately, he or she will receive all of the emoluments of the presidency; twenty-one gun salute, speaking and negotiating on behalf of the Nation-State, attending and visiting official nations and conferences, etc. The question is will the new President have the will power to get a reasonable share of the revenue from the “Papa’s Land” in the form of government revenue to finance infrastructure, education, social programs, etc. similar to the kinds of benefits Botswana government gives to its citizens.

Open Letter: Weep Not, Mama Liberia!
By Abraham M. Keita
Monday, July 26, 1847, it was - you seized the moment and declared unto yourself independence, making you the first African and second black nation to do so. On that day, freed slaves became founders of a nation – a near-nightmare and impossibility for those once sold into slavery, hopes were born and dreamers thought their dreams of freedom, liberty and equality could now be realized.

Liberian Democracy and the Scourge of Political Patronage
By Joe Bartuah
The 2017 general and presidential elections slated for the second Tuesday in October, as mandated by our organic law, will offer an almost unprecedented moment for power brokers in the country and the  Liberian electorate at large, to be manifestly assured, or to assure themselves, that every bona fide citizen of the country who has attained the requisite age, qualification and competence, actually has an equal opportunity in seeking the presidency, irrespective of one’s socio-economic, political, or ethnic background, if such person is preferred by a majority of the voters, as might be reflected in their vote.

Definition Of Politician In Liberian Parlance
Sonkarley Tiatun Beaie
In a contemporary Liberian society, many people often misconstrue the meaning of politician and define it in any way to appraise their political agenda or at their individual levels of understanding. I hesitated once in addressing my audience when this question, “Would you consider yourself to be a good politician for Liberia?” was posed to me. First, my mind was focused on Webster’s definition, but remembered quickly that my mother and sister who couldn’t distinguish between a pen and pencil...

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

CODE OF CONDUCT AND POOR LIBERIA: A nation dubbed and manipulated for 12 years ‘til the end
By James Thomas-Queh
The National Code of Conduct (CoC) - a 22-page document - should have been this regime’s Magna Carta to moralize Liberia’s political life now and the future. It should have been signed by every government official, framed in gold and hanged along with the picture of the imperial President behind the desk of each state  official and in all public places for posterity. But, like all the hundreds of national documents and agreements drafted with millions of dollars evaporated in thin air - while the nation is abandoned to bleed and suffocate in mass poverty, hopelessness and disorder - it too was forgotten since enactment in 2014.

A Nation of Irony, Misery and Obscurity after 170 Years of Independence
By Martin K. N. Kollie
Another Independence Day is just 48 hours away, but what is there to celebrate? Independence Day is not just about celebrating age, but celebrating fulfilled promises. Our sovereignty as a country goes far beyond THE DECLARATION OF INDEPEDENCE. It epitomizes how far we have come as a nation in terms of achieving genuine prosperity, reconciliation, peace, justice and equality. It commemorates socio-economic parity and eulogizes political freedom. Is Liberia different from what it was 170 years ago? The fact after almost 2 centuries is that Liberia and Liberians are free on the PAPER, but not free in RELITY. Independence is not merely about celebrating age in poverty and misery, but celebrating longevity in prosperity, equality and justice for ALL.

VP Boakai (L) & Speaker Nuquay (R)

Dissecting Winners & Losers In Boakai’s Vice Standard Bearer Pick - Part II
By Sherman C. Seequeh
Despite the few riotous reactions to the opinions in Part One, there is something crystal clear beneath the dark armpit of the UP architecture: Unity Party as it was before the Nuquay pick, along with all the euphoria for a Boakai presidency from within and without, is never going to be the same again. Crisis has set in. Disgruntlement never thought off is seething about. Harmony has shrunk and ongoing efforts to downplay the aftereffects of the Nuquay selection and to heal the resultant internal disquiet and instability will hardly return the party to status quo ante.

Liberia Nation-State: A Ticking Time-Bomb
Given the century-long, continuous path of hypocrisy and political infidelity by the nation’s political rulers, the Liberian State is heading to an explosion much, much more deadly and all-inclusive than we have seen and experienced in the past, we argue and predict that, if and only if, nothing is done, now, to arrest and prevent the prevailing risen/rising level of lies, deceit, thievery, dishonesty, graft & greed, and indeed, general moral decadence on the part of the very same political rulers and their associates.

Afghanistan: A Morally Corrupting War
By Professor Alon Ben-Meir
Sixteen years have passed and we are still fighting a war in Afghanistan which is not only the longest in American history (at a cost approaching one trillion and the blood of thousands of brave soldiers), but one which is morally corrupting from which there seems to be no exit with any gratification but shame. It was necessary to invade Afghanistan to destroy al-Qaeda following 9/11, but once it was defeated we should have departed, leaving behind some residual forces to clean up the mess.

Maintaining The Peace And Keeping The Tolerance, The Best Option For All Liberians
Daniel Tlokon Bestman
It was to raid The Americas of black domination after the abolition of Slave Trade, that the U.S. Congress through public opinion passed a resolution in 1819 to empower the American Colonization Society (ACS) to purchase a land for the establishment of the territory called Liberia today. One Hundred Thousand United States dollars (US $100,000) obtained from American citizens taxes was given to the ACS by the U. S. Government for the establishment of a land that could host the replica of her creed ---her flag, anthem, allegiance pledge, justice system, bicameral legislature, and constitution etc

VP Boakai (L) & Speaker Nuquay (R) Photo - Courtesy of FPA

Dissecting Winners & Losers In Boakai’s Vice Standard Bearer Pick - Part 1
An Analysis By Sherman C. Seequeh
Nothing eloquently exposes the hollowness of Unity Party’s sermonized pledge of forming a coalition of new progressive forces, others call it rainbow forces, towards building an inclusive government than Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai’s vice standard-bearer pick. The political sermon paraded by proponents of the party before the deadline-choked pronouncement of Margibi County’s Emmanuel Nuguay was that a new Unity Party was being built to replace President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s “exclusive and vindictive regime” - a regime they believe hardly forgives its critics and which keeps traditional political foes on the national leadership margin

Revelations And Discoveries: New Perpetrators Listings For Potential War And Economic Crimes Prosecutions In Liberia
By Jerome J. Verdier, Sr.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) process and its recommendations did not identify these perpetrators at the time because of limited time and resources. Notwithstanding, the TRC Report recommended further investigations, which are now currently ongoing, into the activities of perpetrators who lied to the TRC, avoided the TRC or were completely unidentified by the TRC. And under these recommendations, any persons, perpetrators, groups or individuals found to be in the same position or standing before the TRC process as those already named or identified by the TRC, are subject to the same findings, determinations and recommendations of the TRC...

Yemen’s Calamity Is Of Damning Proportions
By Professor Alon Ben-Meir
It is hard to imagine that along with the catastrophe that has been inflicted on Syria for the past six years, another calamity is unfolding in Yemen of damning proportions while the whole world looks on with indifference. What is happening in Yemen is not merely a violent conflict between combating forces for power, but the willful subjugation of millions of innocent civilians to starvation, disease, and ruin that transcends the human capacity to descend even below the lowest pit of darkness, from which there is no exit.

Liberians Deserve To Own And Control Their Economy
By: Tibelrosa Summoh Tarponweh
Foreign control of Liberia’s economy, especially essential businesses is not only a threat to the social and economic development of our citizens, it is a significant national security risk that if left unaddressed, will continue to deprive and subjugate Liberians, thereby reducing them to be mere spectators of developments in their country. This is a violation of their basic rights. Liberians must own and control their economy that would allow them to succeed in their country and ensure the safety and prosperity of the nation. I am not against foreign investment, who would be? But it has to be done in a way that embraces our foreign partners while at the same time ensuring Liberians’ ownership and control of the overall economy.

The People Must Have a Victory Against the Money and Power greedy President & Lawmakers
A Letter to the Editor from Moses Uneh Yahmia
While 34 out of 38 members of the House of Representatives voted in favour of granting a national counterproductive tax break favouring a Lebanese business firm, some senators have rejected the president's request to grant such an anti-country tax incentive to her foreign crony. We want to not only commend the resilience of those leaders who stood against the Madam Ellen's kleptomaniac but we are also urging those senators to remain firmed on their decision to ably protect the interest of this land and it's people and graduate from protecting foreign monopoly capital against ordinary Liberian entrepreneurs that are left struggling.

Amb Conteh & Mrs. Mulbah

Liberian Nurses End Conference in Abuja; Take Leave of Ambassador
Source: Liberian Embessy, Nigeria
Bidding farewell to the Liberian Ambassador to Nigeria, Professor Al-Hassan Conteh, in Abuja on Saturday, the nurses expressed their gratitude to the Ambassador and staff for receiving them at the Embassy.  Speaking on behalf of the group, WACN’s Liberian Chair, Mr. Joseph Gono, lauded the Ambassador for the reception in their honor, the release adds.  He praised his colleagues for the organized and competent manner in which they participated in all the College’s deliberations.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

The Proliferation of Gambling in Liberia: A Promise Betrayed - Can President EJS Salvage her Legacy?
By Martin K. N. Kollie
Engraving a heroic legacy is historically fundamental to almost every President or Head of State especially when his or her tenure is ending. The interest of every patriotic leader is to leave behind a legacy full of dignity, pride and public honor. Time is running out for Africa’s first female President to salvage her legacy after almost 12 years of democratic rule and 14 years of ceaseless peace.

President Donald Trump

We The People Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident...
By J. Patrick Flomo
We the People Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident. This is the quintessential refrain that has caused people everywhere to perceive the United States as a “Shining City upon A Hill” from George Washington to Barack Obama. This pedestal of American iconic standing or perception has been blighted by the most un-American presidential character (in the last 50 years) --- telling lies as President of the United States.   Does this iconic American phrase have any intrinsic value meaning to conservative Republicans and the religious, right?  What is perplexing is that under George W. Bush, the United States sunk to its lowest position in the international perception since WWII.  It took Barack Obama five years to restore America’s standing in the world as a defender of democracy and international security. 

The Lebanese-owned Farmington Hotel that is set to get 30 years tax break in Liberia

Liberia: Lebanese Businessman Abi Jaoudi’s Gold Mine with Aunty Jenny Bernard presiding as ‘de facto’ Prime Minister - Part 1
By Martin K. N. Kollie
When voters cast their ballots for political predators and economic vultures, they self-crucify themselves and bear the excruciating pain thereafter. Such is the case with Liberians, especially eligible voters. Can any Liberian-owned hotel be given even 1-year tax holiday in Lebanon even after investing US$20 million? Can any Liberian construction company get even US$1 million contract to pave a 1-mile interior road in Lebanon? Can a Liberian businessman be given the leverage to import even toothbrushes to Lebanon? Liberia has become a mafia state under Nobel Laureate EJS.

The Kurds Under Erdogan's Tyrannical Governance
By Professor Alon Ben-Meir
Tens of thousands have been killed over 40 years of bloodletting between Turkish forces and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and tragically there seems to be no end in sight. In May 2016, President Erdogan stated that military operations against the PKK will continue until “the very last rebel is killed.” What is alarming about Erdogan’s statement is that he still believes he can solve the conflict through brutal force. Erdogan does not understand that he cannot wish the Kurdish problem away—a problem that will continue to haunt him and the country for countless more decades unless a solution is found that respects their cultural and fundamental human rights.

Charlie Brumskine & Charlie Taylor

Insider Trading NASCORP Admits paying US$1.4million for Brumskine-Karnwea’s Dead Company Takeover - New Democrat
The state, through the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASCORP) used US$1.4million to reorganize a collapsed company with link to the presidential candidate and vice running mate of the opposition Liberty Party, the corporation officials have disclosed.Mr. Harrison Karnwea and Cllr. Charles Brumskine are owners of the Nimba Rubber Incorporated; the firm established four months after the March, 2016 labor unrest at the Cocopa Rubber Plantation Company.

Vice President Boakai

Open Letter To Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai
By Martin K. N. Kollie
In search of a flourishing democratic space with new hope which propels our nation towards an irreversible dais of equality, justice, economic freedom, national unity and peace, I profoundly bring you thoughtful compliments ahead of Liberia’s 170th Independence Day celebration. With just 21 more days for Liberians in country and abroad to memorialize yet another Independence Day, I thought to cautiously evoke your conscience as a prominent statesman whose voice and action could change a lot in Liberia. With confidence and optimism, I hope you embrace this communiqué in good faith.

Donors, EU, IMF, UNDP, USAID & WBank: The Problem Of Dependency And Under-Development In Liberia
By Bai M. Gbala, Sr.
While we appreciate and welcome direct foreign investment and donor assistance in Liberia, but we argue that Donors, EU, IMF, UNDP, USAID, WBank, etc., constitute the main “bag of bribery, corruption and related, political/economic ills” that keep Liberia and other developing countries in the state of continuing, continuous dependency and profound under-development.

The Lebanese-owned Farmington Hotel that is set to get 30 years tax break in Liberia

The Crucifixion of Liberianization: Why Give a Whopping 30-Year Tax Break to a Lebanese-owned Hotel?
By Martin K. N. Kollie
In a bid to be re-elected in 2011, Africa’s first female President signed an official contract with all Liberians through a solemn pledge consisting of twenty promises. As part of those 20 promises, these were Madam Sirleaf’s words to all Liberian voters during the campaign period in 2011...

The Capitalism And Socialism Debate
By J. Yanqui Zaza
Many thanks to you all for your contribution to this important debate. Well, brother Sylvester Moses, I assume that Mr. Andrew Worth does not share your view that many countries have instituted a mixed economy. For instance, the United States provides welfare programs for the poor and it also assists big businesses through cash contributions during financial meltdowns (i.e., 2008 financial debacle) or it initiates and, or finances research, which ends up generating huge profits for companies such as Microsoft.

Pres. Emmanuel Macron

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the role of President Macron
By Gilles Pargneaux, MEP, and Professor Alon Ben-Meir, New York University
Over the years, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been characterized, and for good reasons, as the most intractable and irreconcilable conflict since the Second World War. The status quo erodes every day the prospect of a solution, but the changing geopolitical winds in the Middle East have created a new opportunity to resume peace negotiations. The newly elected French President, Emmanuel Macron, has a golden opportunity to take up the initiative on the basis left by his predecessor.

Karl Marx	Adam Smith

World Leaders Condemn Capitalism. Africa Or Liberia, Which Way?
By J. Yanqui Zaza
Is capitalism having a bad coverage? Well, many voters under capitalism are having more doubts about the benefits of this economic system or “trickle down theory.” In a 2016 Poll, Harvard University found that 51 percent of young American voters rejected capitalism and have positive views about socialism, similar to the conclusion of the 2011 Pew Poll. President Donald Trump, then U.S. presidential candidate stated that, “America’s economic system is rigged;” U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders stated that had Americans been under socialism the price of a medicine would not have increased from $40 in 2001 to $40,000 in 2016. In the 6/14/17 NY Times newspaper, he concluded that capitalism “is a dismal failure.”

Bridging The Gap And Going Beyond Rhetoric To Protect Liberian Children
By Martin K. N. Kollie
With immense pleasure and honor, I am glad to be with all of you to celebrate the resilience of the African children worldwide. On this 26th anniversary of the Day of the African Child, we have assembled once more on this ELWA compound to reaffirm our unhindered commitment to protect the rights and welfare of every child in Africa and Liberia. In memory of this historic occasion, we have come to pay homage to Liberian children and renew our promise once made to them.

The Last Thing Lawmakers Must Do – The Masses Are Watching Ahead of 2017 Election
By Martin K. N. Kollie
Why give a 30-year tax holiday or tax break to a Lebanese hotel – The Farmington Hotel owned by Lebanese businessman George E. Abijaoudi when no Liberian-owned hotel has even received a tax holiday for 1 year or even 6 months? Why go into a US$59.5 million Pre-Financing Loan Agreement with a bogus foreign company and at the same time serve as a guarantor with just 6 months to go? With few months to go, there is a huge rush to bag millions without any respect for established laws/rules and the sense of patriotism.  The LAST THING lawmakers must do is to reject these shady deals, 4G agreements and glaring economic conspiracy against the people’s interest.

After Fifty Years Of Occupation, What's Next: An open letter to President Mahmoud Abbas
By Alon Ben-Meir, PhD
Last week I sent an open letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu, criticizing him in the strongest terms for pursuing policies that prolong the occupation of the West Bank rather than searching for ways to end it by resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on a two-state solution. I must hasten to say, however, that you, along with Hamas’ leaders, have contributed your own share to the continuation of the occupation that has deepened the plight of the Palestinian people.

Jonathan K. Weedor Commissioner, NEC

NEC Commissioner Jonathan Weedor Decries Chairman Korkorya’s Scam That Will Lead To Rigged 2017 Elections In Liberia
Position Statement Issued By Commissioner Weedor
On 14 Ju.ne 2017 at a Press Conference, NEC Chairman Jerome Korkoya announced that individuals with Voter Cards who are not captured or  listed on the final Registration Roll will be permitted to vote during the pending October 10, 2017 Elections. Chairman Korkoya’s statement was in response to the alarming problems associated with the current provisional Registration Roll as discovered during the ongoing exhibition exercise. It is important to emphasize that the essence of the exhibition exercise is to provide individuals who participated in the Voter Registration exercise the opportunity to vet the provisional Roll aimed at establishing a final Registration Roll that is reliable and credible

President Sirleaf Is Installing Charles Walker Brumskine To Run Liberia (The Congua Money Making Plantation)
By Jerry Wehtee Wion
I hope it is not too late now for crying out loud. I have organized and led protest rallies against Ellen at the United Nations in New York City and in front of the White House in Washington, DC, but Liberians are always "too busy working" to show up. Then they ask you, "how many of you were at the protest?" I then tell them everyone was there except YOU.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Our Reaction To: “Natives Are Not Perfect…”
By Bai M. Gbala, Sr.
We admit that many of us, indigenous Liberians, who fled from our home towns and villages of Rural Liberia, mainly, to the Capital City of Monrovia for the purpose of education, economic betterment, personal growth and development in preparation for service - public or private - have become unmindful of that responsibility after achievement of education,  joined the traditionalists, the African-American, immigrant-settlers or Americo-Liberian Rulers, in exploitation of the citizens, the overwhelming majority of the nation’s population for socio-cultural, economic and political gain. But they were not allowed national policy-making power and authority, only emerged/emerging political, indigenous class.

Open Letter To President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
By Martin K. N. Kollie
Madam President, I read a headline story published in The In Profile Daily Newspaper on May 29, 2017 titled “Questionable Contracts”. This publication is implicating Ministry of Public Works into a web of Conflict of Interest with a foreign Chinese-owned company – East International Group. As an advocate, I chose not to anchor my thoughts only on what was published in The In Profile Daily, but to go beyond by digging out some fundamental facts.

NDC Takes Jerome G. Korkoya To Court
A Press Release Issued by NDC
In furtherance of its resolve to remove Jerome George Korkoya as Chairman of the National Election Commission due to his illegal and dubious citizenship status, the National Democratic Coalition (NDC) and other collaborating parties have finally dragged the NEC criminal suspect to court. We have prima facie evidence that the current Chairman of NEC is an American, not a Liberian citizen. Dual citizenship is illegal and is criminal in Liberia. He lied under oath to be confirmed by the Liberian Senate as Chairman of NEC. As a foreign citizen serving as the Chair of NEC, Korkoya has also violated the much talked about Code of Conduct, which he promises to enforce to the letter.  These, among other violations, make Korkoya a criminal suspect

Prime Minister Netanyahu

The Unfinished Six Day War: An open letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu
By Alon Ben-Meir, PhD
Since you celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the victory of the Six Day War, did you ponder what this triumph has done to the Palestinian people and to the moral character of the state of Israel? I am not sure how harshly history will judge you, but one thing is certain - I, like millions of Jews around the world, deeply believe that no prime minister of Israel has done more damage to the country’s future security and wellbeing than you have. The sad irony is that for you, the facts on the ground are freely expungable in your morally distorted universe.

Dr. Togba-Nah Tipoteh

Tipoteh takes Korkoya to Court
AND NOW COMES PETITIONER IN THE ABOVE-ENTITLED CAUSE OF ACTION and petitions this Honorable Court for a writ of prohibition against the hereinabove-named respondent for the following legal and factual reasons, to wit:That petitioner is a citizen of Liberia that is historically known for standing up for justice, peace, human rights and upholding the law for more than Forty Years (40) of his life through the work of the Movement of Justice for Africa (MOJA). The court is respectfully requested to take judicial notice of this   publicly known and undoubted historical fact.

2 Political Blocs I Dislike In 2017 Elections
By Sherman C. Seequeh
Let me venture into a seemingly potentially catastrophic political terrain today: talking about highly sensitive stakes and about desperately determined political blocs in the crucial 2017 election. No doubt, everyone has his political dislikes and the reasons for them in any elections. I do have mine which surely overarch and resonate with many Liberians. The difference is, others dare talk about them openly as I do now. Despite the swarm of political parties toward election date and all the claims of one being different from the other, a careful scrutiny narrows them all. And that comes out in two great wars that will be fought but silently or subtly - not overtly.

Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Anatomy of Suffering
By Sam Ben-Meir
ROME, Italy - The Chiostro Del Bramante, a cloister-turned-gallery in the heart of Rome, is currently presenting “Jean-Michel Basquiat: New York City” – a generous selection of work spanning the short, but immensely prolific, career of this extraordinary artist. The extensive exhibition includes nearly one hundred significant works on loan from the Mugrabi Collection, which includes acrylics and oils, as well as drawings, silkscreen prints, and ceramics completed between the years of 1981 and 1987

Korean Elites Thwart Reform; So Do Liberian Real Estate Owners Too?
|By J. Yanqui Zaza
The rapid increase in rent or mortgage, which makes up a significant portion (45%) of the high cost of living (www.citylab.com), is making life difficult for citizens as well as governments around the world. And the high cost of living, experts complain, creates an unfavorable economic environment for good-paying job-investors. Instead of debating a reform policy in order to reduce the housing cost, politicians look for a scapegoat.

On The Destruction Of Public Institutions A Reaction To New Democrat Editorial
By Bai M. Gbala, Sr 
In an Editorial entitled The Destruction of Public Institutions in Liberia, the newspaper New Democrat ( May 22, 2017) moans “Liberia’s backwardness rooted in an indecent culture wherein  thieves, murderers and hyper dishonest people are celebrated and often rewarded with public (government) offices”. The Editorial chronicles the events that:

Trump’s ‘Historic’ Visit To The Middle East: Much Ado About Nothing
By Dr. Alon Ben-Meir
Sadly, President Trump’s visit to the Middle East only confirmed my skepticism about what might come out of it. Trump went to the region with nothing to offer to mitigate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and received no commitment from either Israeli or Palestinian leaders to resume the peace negotiations in earnest, but he received lots of platitudes and empty good-will gestures.

Charlie Brumskine with Charlie Taylor

Small And Narrow Minds: The Real Disease In Liberia?
By Jones Nhinson Williams
Some sicknesses are physical and others are psychological. And when you talk to theologians or pastors, Imams, and Rabbis, they might tell you to add morality and spirituality to the list. Liberia is a unique and pitiful environment because our real sickness is not that we are that bad a people, or that we don't have a human mind and the five senses needed to think and solve our internal social, economic, political and lack of development problems.

Advice To Liberian Presidential Candidates
By: Jarwinken Wiah
Legacy-driven leader: The Liberian people are looking for a “fighting president.” The fighting president is the one that is willing to fight to give all Liberians “equal fighting chance” for better livelihoods. He or She is the one who is willing to summon a new dawn to mark a renewed beginning for Liberia by ending the “semi-godly presidency” and the “oligarchy governance structure”, which is now in place.

People’s Response To Liberty Party PolicyOn Anti-Corruption
By Bai M. Gbala, Sr 
In an article on corruption, entitled, Anti-corruption Policy Speech (Analyst Liberia, May 12, 2027), “Small Brother” Charlie Brumskine, Counselor-at-Law, Political Leader of the LIBERTY Political Party and declared Candidate for President of Liberia, wrote what is an apparent LIBERTY Party’s major diagnostic policy prescription on “combating corruption”, the universal vice declared as “Liberia’s public enemy no. 1” by the nation’s current President.

What’s education without a flicker of light?
Monrovia- Electricity plays a cardinal role in every thriving nation and the ones on its road to recovery. For the private sector, it’s considered the key to an economic boom. Without it, industries cannot be built and powered to keep the wheels of the economy turning. Kids cannot learn in dark classrooms during the rainy season when the weather is all but good. Market women stretching out their services till the night hours feel safer with a fluorescent bulb to keep them safe and visible.

Some Thoughts On African PhDs
By Bai M. Gbala, Sr 
In her recent article, Reshaping African PhDs (New Democratnews, May 18, 2017), Vice Chancellor Cheryl de la Rey of the University of Pretoria, South Africa, underscored “The growing recognition that knowledge and innovation are critical contributors to national wealth and welfare, postgraduate education – specifically doctorial training – has become a priority for African higher education”. Chancellor de la Rey strikes at the core of 21st century issues concerned with knowledge – classical knowledge for the sake of knowledge, as it were, and/or “knowledge & innovation” as critical contributors to national wealth (Adam Smith) and welfare.

Reviving Israeli-Palestinian Talks Now Will Go Nowhere
By Dr. Alon Ben-Meir 
President Trump’s... visit to Israel and Palestine - during which he hopes to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process - will go nowhere unless he fully understands the complexity of the conflict and why previous attempts by successive American administrations to negotiate a peace deal have failed. Recently, he stated that “I want to see peace with Israel and the Palestinians. There is no reason there’s not peace between Israel and the Palestinians - none whatsoever.” Trump’s over-simplification of the conflict suggests he has no clue about what it would take to make peace and why the mere resumption of peace talks is dead on arrival.

Unification Monument in Lofa

A Hopeless Unification Day
By Martin K. N. Kollie
Even on a national holiday like Unification Day, the masses were selling coldwater and crushing rock under hot sun while bourgeoisies and elites lavished the nation’s wealth at Royal Grand, Boulevard Palace, Palm Spring, Havana Lodge, Kendeja Hotel, Golden Key, etc. Is this how Liberia will be unified? How can we celebrate Unification Day when drug abuse, gambling, rock crushing, sand mining, pen-pen riding, prostitution and begging have become the order of the day?

James Sirleaf

Our Response To James Sirleaf’s Threat & “Desist Order”
By Bai M. Gbala, Sr 
In a recent outburst, Mr. James Sirleaf, son of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, threatened court action with a “Desist Order” against “former members of the Doe administration”.As the visible, former member of the Doe (the late former President, Samuel K. Doe) administration under threat of a court action, I submit this Response to Mr. Sirleaf. In his article, My Reply to Francis Kwarteng (Analyst Liberia, May 9, 2017),Mr. James Sirleaf writes:

The Disunity Of Israel's Opposition Parties Is Serving The Occupation
By Dr. Alon Ben-Meir 
Israel will soon reach on June 5th the grim milestone of fifty years of occupation of the West Bank. Many Israelis have become complacent and succumbed to the government’s argument that the continuing occupation is necessary to safeguard Israel’s national security. Others are lamenting the day, as they view the occupation not only as a gross violation of Palestinian human rights, but a real menace to Israel’s democratic nature and Jewish national character.

Allegiance, Loyalty & Patriotism: The Highest Requirement Of A Politician
By Bai M. Gbala, Sr 
Increasingly, the credibility of the forthcoming 2017 General and Presidential (democratic) Elections is being called into question with the Chairman of the National Elections Commission (NEC), Cllr. Jerome Korkoya, at center of charges and counter-charges that he is citizen of a foreign country, a violation of Liberian law, including elections law.

“Liberia and every Liberian could prosper if public finance is managed in the most disciplined way,” Says IMF Christine Lagarde
By Martin K. N. Kollie
In a period of 12 months (FY2016-2017), Liberia is spending over US$10.2 million on just six (6) public offices, namely: President, Vice President, Speaker, Senate Pro Tempore, Deputy Speaker and Chief Justice. The budget of these six offices far exceeds the two biggest referral hospitals in Liberia: JFK Medical Center (US$5.3 million) and Jackson F. Doe Hospital (US$2.9 million). Where does the interest of the people lie? The budget of these six offices in 12 months could pay 571 medical doctors per annum (a doctor currently receives US$18,000 per year in Liberia). Even though Liberia has a broken health sector with just 298 medical doctors to a population of 4.5 million people (1 doctor to 15,100 people in contrast to WHO’s doctor-patient ratio of 1 doctor to 5,000 patients),

Charlie Brumskine with Charlie Taylor

An Opened Letter to Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine
By Moses Uneh Yahmia
Cllr Brumskine, as we move towards a very pivotal epoch (October 10, 2017) in our country’s existence, I am one of those in the youth and students’ community that elected not to dive into superficial political debates. This is because they are immaterial to the poverty and misery of the mass of Liberians. In these ensuing elections, I have always stressed that the debate in our political theatre should always highlight candidates’ history of service and the ideas they bring to the table. If this is inculcated in our political culture like in other democracies in the region, it will augur well for us as a nation and people.

The Tragedy of Liberian Media
By Martin K. N. Kollie 
An American Politician, Christopher Dodd once said, “When the public's right to know is threatened, and when the rights of free speech and free press are at risk, all of the other liberties we hold dear are endangered.” The media in Liberia remains an integral and indispensable embodiment of our democracy. Allowing World Press Freedom Day to pass on without honoring the legacy, courage and resilience of Liberian Journalists would be a disservice.

Who Do We Follow? The Insipid-Coalitions Or The UP- Continuity Of Leadership
By Daniel T. Bestman
We are approximately one-hundred sixty (160) days plus away to the issuance of the expiration verdicts to those political convicts whose manifestos seem opposite to the plights of the people. The wide range of disagreements and condemnations that have stretched through corridors of the nation’s social, economic, and political hemispheres flavored the outcome of these Elections to be crucial and above all a boost for our struggling democracy. Yet, the vast of people are still in a state of dilemma as to who to entrust with power come October 10, 2017.

Liberia: Justice For All Criminals Is A Must – Without favor or Privilege
A Press Release From Jerome J. Verdier, SR
Mr. Govenhoven, without regards to human suffering, war crimes committed in Liberia at the time, which warranted the imposition of arms embargo and other sanctions on Liberia by the international community, was trading arms mainly in exchange for Liberia’s timber resources which was fueling the war machine of former president Charles Taylor of the defunct National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL). Chairman Jerome J. Verdier said the 19 year jail sentence given Mr. Govenhoven...

Lawyers, The Liberian Lawyers!!
By Bai M. Gbala, Sr.
Deeply-concerned and troubled by the quality of some candidates-for-President of our nation come October, 2017, qualities such as crooks, liars, thieves, dishonesty with profound moral decadence, war-mongers/warlords, rebels, lawbreakers and above all, dual citizens, disloyal and unpatriotic to the Republic, beholden to corrupt practices, the US greenbacks, British pounds, German marks, French francs, etc., etc., and their presently-prevailing socio-political activities...

The Late Gedimina Flomo

Tribute To Gedimina Flomo
By Ms. Argbah Momolu
Friday, March 17, 2017 was one of those days the family had hoped that Gedimina Flomo (popularly known as GG) was succeeding in the fight against death. We felt somehow optimistic because GG, about two weeks ago, had escaped from the traps of death. News about the death of GG had gone global through social media. Later we learned that GG’s condition was critical, but was still alive. So, yes, when GG’s physicians informed us about his improvement the night before, we had hope that the Almighty God would save GG from death

Talking Elections 2017
By Jarwinken Wiah
The 2017 general and presidential elections are more important than ever before for all Liberians at home and outside the country. This is because in nearly 170 years ordinary Liberians are yet to experience the ascendency of legacy-driven individuals to positions of power.  Instead, the political and economic predatory ones.

NEC Chairman Jerome Korkoyah

NEC Chairman Korkoya Falsified Liberian Citizenship, Lied Under Oath and Violated Other Laws of the Land
A Letter Sent to President Sirleaf by the National Democratic Coalition
The National  Democratic Coalition  (NDC), comprising  two  of  Liberia’s  foremost  political Parties - the New DEAL Movement and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), both signatories to the Accra Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that successfully brought peace to Liberia, has in its possession, prima facie evidence that the current Chairman of the National Elections Commission, Cllr. Jerome George Korkoya, is a citizen of a foreign country, the United States of America.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Liberia’s War Lord Queen: The Bloodstained Career of Eleanor Sirleaf Johnson - American Herald Tribune
By Thomas C. Mountain
President Johnson is the queen of the warlords, for she has granted fiefdoms to many of Charles Taylor’s top Capos in todays Liberia. This is the Charles Taylor that is an incarcerated war criminal having been found guilty of crimes against humanity by that pack of western lickspittles enthroned at the International Criminal Court.

Liberia’s International Airport Road is a National Disgrace and a Death-Trap
By: Tibelrosa Summoh Tarponweh
Liberia may be famous for its barbaric 14-year civil war, but it’s also known with the exception of Ethiopia as the oldest and the first independent nation on the continent of Africa. The latter usually comes with high expectations for first time visitors and tourists to Liberia. Those expectations are immediately dashed upon seeing the underdeveloped state of the Roberts International Airport (RIA) road while in route to the city.

Charles Taylor, Jewel Taylor and George Waeah

CDC And Charles Taylor
By Bai M. Gbala, Sr.
In Liberia, there were, also, political war crimes against humanity that were committed by the Charles Taylor-led NPFL/INPFL, in which not only an estimated quarter of million Liberians were killed, massive looting, theft of public/private properties and mind-boggling destruction of the nation’s meagre infrastructure, but also, that known perpetrators of these crimes are still running around in Liberia and the world community with characteristic impunity and ordained as “Honorables”.

A Sad Day For Turkey
By Dr. Alon Ben-Meir
The razor-thin victory (51.3% to 48.7%) of Turkey’s President Erdogan in the referendum held on April 16 in fact denies Erdogan the mandate to govern with the sweeping powers the new constitution grants the President, especially when the results of the referendum are seriously contested. Even if there was no outright fraud or irregularities in the votes (which by all accounts were rampant), the conditions under which the referendum was held made a mockery of free and fair elections. Given Erdogan’s domestic and foreign policy conduct leading up to the referendum, the US and the EU must now seriously reevaluate Turkey’s role in NATO

Town Trap Is Not for One Person: The Case of ‘Code of Conduct’
By Duannah Siryon
The highest court of the land, the Supreme Court on Friday, March 3, 2017, upheld a "Legislative Approved" controversial Code of Conduct law which was challenged by Bong County Superintendent Selena Polson-Mappy as “unconstitutional.” One must understand that the ruling by the Supreme Court, if it should be enforced by Cllr. Chris Massaquoi’s established special Ombudsman Committee, there must be emphasis on those key languages in the document, which by far, affects most government officials in the coming presidential and Representative elections.

Crafting a new Motto that Embraces and Recognizes all Segments of Society
By lex Quermorllue
Excepting for nuances in messaging style, the pitching themes of the various candidates for President in the upcoming elections have become so similar, it’s almost impossible to distinguish their strategies for electoral victory come October, 2017: Jobs & more jobs, affordable education for all, fighting & eliminating corruption in government, infrastructure building, improved healthcare delivery for all, increased food production, etc. etc.

Dutch court makes legal history in sentencing timber baron Gus Kouwenhoven to 19 years for war crimes and arms smuggling during Liberian civil war
Press Release Issued by Global Witness
The conviction of Gus Kouwenhoven by the Dutch Appeal Court for war crimes and arms smuggling during the height of Liberia’s brutal civil war is an historic victory for the Liberian people, said Global Witness today. The landmark ruling sends a clear message that those who profit from war will be held to account, and sets a significant legal precedent in recognizing that trading arms for natural resources is a war crime.

Charles Taylor

Investigative Report on Oriental Timber Corporation - Special To The Perspective
This article, originally published by The Perspective, on March 20, 2000, was the first major article that exposed the crimes of Charles Taylor, Gus van Kouwenhoven and Kouwenhoven's OTC-
Gus van Kouwenhoven, a businessman of Dutch origin, succeeded in buying up or otherwise acquiring 5 concessions in Southeast Liberia (Grand Bassa, River Cess and Sinoe counties) in the late 1990s, totalling a good part of the SE Liberian forest block. With these large holdings in hand, many other concessions (mostly inactive?) were seized to put together a concession stretching from just north of Buchanan east across River Cess county and into Sinoe county (perhaps up to the boundary of the Sapo National Park according to one report). No maps of the concession area are publicly available, however, it varies between 2,500,000 acres (900,000 hectares) to 4,000,000 acres (1.44 million hectares). Mr. van Kouwenhoven reached a "management agreement" with FDA for this forest area; again, this agreement is not publicly available and may not withstand contestation in court.

Charles Taylor, Jewel Taylor and George Waeah

When Greed and Desperation Overshadows Rationality; A Response to Opposition Political Parties Declaration of Support for Jerome Korkoya
By Jappah Maxwell Hooks
Liberians are anxious to see how a CDC Government will project itself at the helm of governance and how it will take steps towards achieving critical policy and law enforcement issues when it takes state power in 2018, with specific reference on clamping down on criminals who will violate our laws when CDC and its leadership have remained blatantly inconsistent on critical national issues that have the potential to and continue to harm the progress of our country and people.

Mother Mary Nema Brownell

The Legacy of a Heroine Par Excellence
By Martin K. N. Kollie
Liberia has been a historic nation popularly known for procreating genuine voices and iconic advocates, some of whom have engraved an immaculate legacy of heroism throughout human history. It is with this pride and elation I have chosen to pay homage to a fallen heroine – a HEROINE par excellence.  

President Donald Trump

Trumpism and the ethics of climate change denial
By Dr. Sam Ben-Meir
In recent years, President Donald Trump has used his Twitter account @realDonalTrump to share his thoughts on climate change – for example, in December 2013 he tweeted: “…global warming is a total, and very expensive hoax.” And in January 2014, Trump asked: “Is our country still spending money on the GLOBAL WARMING HOAX?”

The Struggle for Social Justice and Economic Freedom Lives on after PATEL
By Ivor S. Moore
Again, the Sirleaf government, through cunning machinations, has bought itself some time from falling under the quantum weight of the triumphant march of the masses of Liberians onto the stage of history. It now shamelessly celebrates its perceived victory over the people’s struggle for economic freedom, thus confirming its anti-democratic credentials.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, center, surrounded by heavy security visiting to quarantined neighborhood in Monrovia, Liberia, in 2014. Credit: Daniel Berehulak for The New York Times

Stop Treating Liberia’s President Like a Hero. She’s a Human - New York Times
The Ebola crisis is often presented as an epilogue to a broadly successful and inspiring feminist political career. However, Ms. Johnson Sirleaf’s early history as a crusader for reform has been tarnished by a decade of rule in which her judgment and integrity have been repeatedly called into question. Official corruption continues to be a constant source of local headlines and outrage. It doesn’t help that her stepson runs the Liberian National Security Agency, another son is chairman of the Central Bank and yet a third ran the national oil corporation.

Diamond found by Rev. Emmanuel Momo

Diamond Revenue: Sierra Leone Gets Less; Can Liberia Get More Diamond Revenue After The 2017 Elections?
By J. Yanqui Zaza
Liberians, once again, are hoping that a change in leadership after 2017 their country will address Liberia’s issues: generate adequate revenue, finance electricity to entice good-paying-job investors, finance social programs, fight corruption, etc. Yet, the candidates are focusing on the issue of personality or ethnicity rather than the issue of adequate revenue, for example. Why does Liberia, with significant deposits of natural resources such as diamonds, continue to rely on excise taxes (i.e., money taken away from the pockets of citizens) to finance its budgetary documents?

Miss Sonah James

Letter To Inspector General Gregory Coleman of Liberia National Police
By Martin K. N. Kollie
Col. Coleman, on January 4, 2017 precisely, a young and industrious Liberian woman whose name is Sonah James, 26 years old, was severely brutalized by some officers of the Police Support Unit (PSU) around Buchanan Street, central Monrovia. Sonah, a vendor of sandwich bread, had come from selling after the County Sports Meet on the Antoinette Tubman Stadium (ATS) when this unfortunate incident occurred. While en route to her residence almost 40 feet away from Buchanan Street, she was raided, knocked down and whipped with a rattan in her right eye.

Overview of the 2017 LSA Conference
Click the link above for an overview of the 49th Annual Conference of the Liberian Studies Association

PYJ, War Lord and Rights Violator turned “Politician” & “Preacher of the Gospel”

The Concepts Of "Vote-Rich Nimba County" And "PYJ Messiah Controls Nimba County Votes"
By Bai M. Gbala, Sr.
Indeed, the notion of “Vote-Rich Nimba County” is the expression of reality. It is the statement of the number of eligible, voting-age citizens in the county.  But, the notion of “PYJ, as the Messiah or Savior of the County and its citizens, who controls the votes of Nimba County ” is something else - debatable at best, and a myth at worse.

Amos Claudius Sawyer: Keynote Speaker at the LSA 2017 Conference

The Liberian Studies Association's 49th Annual Conference
The 49th annual conference of the Liberian Studies Association (LSA) held last week at Ramapo College of New Jersey was highly inspiring, engaging and memorable. It provided wonderful opportunities for Liberians and other participants to reflect on, in light of the theme of the conference, the challenges and prospects facing the country. A number of scholars, policy researchers, social critics and political activists, including former President Amos Sawyer, participated in presenting and discussing several papers, films and posters on a variety of topics relevant to the theme of the conference.

Prince Yormie Johnson (PYJ) Confesses Rights Violations: Implications In The Context Of Liberian Polity
By Bai M. Gbala, Sr.
The facts of history of the Liberian political experience show... that the Republic of Liberia is still locked in a dangerous transition from dictatorship, seeking liberal, progressive democracy, following the defeat of the Republican Party in 1876;... and the overthrow (of the one-party state) of the True Whig Party  in 1980, all of the African-American settlers; and the nightmare of the African-American settlers-planned, -led and -executed civil war of plunder, destruction, human suffering and death, with that transition... still continues!!" to this day.

PRINCE JOHNSON:   Liberia’s Most Notorious Murderer
By Jerome J. Verdier, Sr (Cllr)
"A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right?"His killings of innocent civilians outside the theater of war, coupled with other crimes of war against humanity was egregious and a moral outrage. The incident of murders committed by Hon. Prince Johnson during the civil war in Liberia was outstanding in a class of its own, having no match or comparison to any other warlord

Bishop Bennie D. Warner

Interpreting Liberian Laws is Replete with Flaws & Biasness: Liberia Could Slip Again if Allowed to Continue
By Jappah Maxwell Hooks
Many years ago, Bishop Bennie D. Warner asserted that, “we (Liberians) are our own problems”. At first I found it perplexing to agree with the learned Bishop and concluded that the Bishop was eluding the realities of a failed system in which he participated and had embarked on a “blame game” syndrome, blaming every Liberia instead of those with whom we entrusted to lead our country, manage our resources to benefit every Liberian and to provide Liberians the opportunities to pursue happiness beyond other African nations.

Cllr. Frances  Johnson Allison, former head of the National Elections Commission

The “Necessary And Proper” Clause Of Article 34 L Of The Liberian Constitution Renders The Enactment..., And The Supreme Court Opinion Constitutional:A Rebuttal To Former Chief Justice Frances  Johnson Allison's  "Point Of View" And The Editorial Of The Daily Observer
By Dortu-Siboe Doe
When the standard bearer of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) said Section 5.2 of the Code of Conduct Law “is not applicable” to him because he made known his intention to contest public elected office prior to his presidential appointment on the Board of BWI, we simply laughed.

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf posed with government officials in Julijuah, Bomi County

A Marriage Between Promise and Pretense: Cabinet Retreat Without Action Is Worthless
By Martin K. N. Kollie
Liberia has a lot to learn from Tanzania especially under the administration of a patriot par excellence, President John Pombe Joseph Magufuli. The United Nations made no mistake to have named Magufuli as the best President on planet earth just in a period of 12 months of his presidency. This global and prestigious accolade came as a result of “Less Talking” and “More Action”. It came as a result of setting proactive public policies, people-centered priorities and achievable targets.

Will Deal Maker Trump Reach A Deal With Liberia?
By Jerry Wehtee Wion
This is a catch 50/50 situation facing our people. But the great deal maker Trump can reach a deal with Liberia. Just keep reading. The Liberian refugees didn’t ask to come to America but were forced to leave Liberia because of the few power-hungry politicians who lived in America only to study/plan the destruction of their own country through war. They've gained political power through the barrel of the gun and only to enrich themselves while our people wallow in grinding poverty and misery.

The Looming End To The Western-Turkish Alliance
By Dr. Alon Ben-Meir
The growing tension between Turkey and its Western allies, which was further heightened during the Obama administration, is narrowing the space for cooperation between the two sides and in fact is progressively worsening. Erdogan’s hope that he and President Trump would improve their ties as members of NATO has dramatically diminished. Washington and the EU still deeply disagree with Ankara on a host of issues, which are unlikely to be resolved on a mutually gainful basis any time in the foreseeable future.

Charlie Brumskine & Charlie Taylor

VP Joseph N. Boakai

NDC Decries Charles Brumskine's Distortion And Attacks On Vice President Boakai
A Statement Issued By The National Democratic Coalition (NDC)
The National Democratic Coalition (NDC) calls on Liberians everywhere not to be disinformed by Cllr. Charles W. Brumskine and the Liberty Party about the sociopolitical realities of Liberia. In addressing rumors that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf prefers and is quietly supporting Cllr. Brumskine to succeed her as the next President of Liberia, the Liberty Party political leader, Cllr. Brumskine, mischaracterized Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai and wrongly depicted him as someone employing the “Congo–Country divide” in politics in Liberia! Sadly, Cllr. Brumskine, who was once a strong supporter of Charles Taylor whose record is unhidden regarding the destruction of Liberia and his plan to destabilize the sub-region, tacitly likened Vice President Boakai to self-serving individuals

The Battle Over Syria's Future
By Dr. Alon Ben-Meir
As we approach the sixth year of Syria’s civil war, the whole international community remains completely inept and has failed to join together in the search for a solution that could end the horrifying slaughter of thousands of innocent civilians each month. Sadly (but for obvious reasons), each of the countries and other groups involved, including Russia, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the US, the Assad government, and the rebels, are focused solely on what best serves their own national interests.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

LIBERIA: Fighting Corruption War Without Weapons Or Ammunitions
By Jerome J Verdier, Sr (Cllr)
On January 16, 2006, when Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became President of Liberia, she raised the hopes of many Liberians of a new day in Liberia and inspired the confidence of the International community when she declared “war against corruption as public enemy number one.” The President dashed the hopes of the Liberian people and the international community, further in government’s commitment to fighting corruption when she failed to reappoint former Auditor General John Morlu.

NEC Chairman Jerome Korkoyah

The Code of Conduct-Potential Recipe for Conflict in 2017
By Jappah Maxwell Hooks
I followed recent developments regarding the March 3rd Ruling of the Supreme Court on the Code of Conduct and your subsequent press statement in public media of your determination to uphold and/or enforce the Code of Conduct as a constitutional prerogative to which the NEC is obliged. What has drawn my attention, Mr. Chairman is how you intend to enforce the Code of Conduct in ways that will not plunge our country into an abyss of chaos, political instability and civil crisis.

ICT, Digital Liberia And E-Government
By Bai M. Gbala, Sr.
At a recent gathering of Liberian dignitaries – the big names, including the US Ambassador accredited to Liberia, USAID Executives, line Ministers and others – at a local hotel, with the Honorable, Dr. Fredrick Norkeh, Minister of Posts & Telecommunications, R. L.., the host in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, the funding partner.  They launched what is called the E-Government and Digital Liberia Project, or the Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

Liberia’s 2017 Presidential Election: The Danger of Identity Politics and Tribalism
By Jones Nhinson Williams
In defense of decriminalizing marijuana use globally, former United Nations’ secretary general, Kofi Annan, once wrote on February 23, 2017 in the U.S.-based Huffington Post online journal: “In my experience, good public policy is best shaped by the dispassionate analysis of what in practice has worked, or not. Policy based on common assumptions and popular sentiments can become a recipe for mistaken prescriptions and misguided interventions.” 

"Opinion Of Taxes In The Republic Of Liberia And Its Effect On The Liberian Economy"
By Samora P.Z. Wolokolie
Referenced resolution of February 1, 2017 under the banner of the Patriotic Entrepreneurs of Liberia (PATEL), in which some burning issues affecting Liberian businesses and the well-being of the Liberian people in general were highlighted and presented to the National legislature and the Executive branch for their intervention to curtail the situation, I hereby again provide some detailed explanations with recommendations that will pacify the situation to wit:

Moroccan Cultural Preservation and the Jewish Experience
In the Kingdom of Morocco, there are a number of sustainable development programs and policies that display innovation and promote social solidarity.  These participatory democratic initiatives are designed to catalyze people’s development that meet multiple human needs at the same time.

I am told to vote him
By Sheikh Al moustapha Kouyateh
Knowing that he doesn't regard our constitution. I am told to elect him. After he conceded failure by his previous retirement. I am told he's the Chosen One. Because he once claimed to have been the anointed one.

VP Joseph N. Boakai

Youth And The Southeast: The missing links to Joseph Boakai’s Presidency
By Urias S. Goll & Stephen R. Johnson
It is a hoary and a trite concept that presidential election is won by the collective value and message of the team (presidential and vice presidential candidates). A single candidate, no matter the marquee status and position in society, cannot match the well-suited and strategically positioned combination of two individuals with seamless attributes for overall success. In 2005, it was not only the international acclamations and “iron lady” traits that won the elections for Madam Sirleaf.  It took the president considerable time to invest in the thoughtfulness of choosing someone who could fill out and connect the missing links to her grand cavalcade as Africa’s first democratically elected female president.

Revisiting the Oracle: Turner at the Frick
By Sam Ben-Meir, Ph.D
J. M. W. Turner is one of those rare artists who seem always to be ahead of us – as with Shakespeare, he remains somehow ever beyond our reach. Turner's Modern and Ancient Ports: Passages through Time is a thrilling exhibition currently on display at The Frick Collection in New York City, bringing together six oil paintings and some two-dozen watercolors from the artist’s middle period. This was a turning point in Turner’s career, the beginning of a shift towards ‘colour for colour’s sake’

NASSCORP: Poor-Pensioners’ Money Invested In Risky Portfolios?
By J. Yanqui Zaza
The United Nations (UN) estimates that by 2050, there will be 2 billion people over 60 years old (i.e., would-be pension-benefits-recipients) worldwide, and 80% of the 2 billion will be living in developing countries, especially Africa. With such an increase in old age, coupled with the fact that one in five live on less than a dollar a day, Africans should not only institute social programs such as retirement fund, rather effective retirement funds that will help to alleviate poverty amongst the elderly, the UN advised.

Charlie Brumskine & Charlie Taylor

Answer To Cllr. Brumskine: "Da Kongo-Countryman Business Man Will Eat"?
By Bai M. Gbala, Sr.
As an eternal, political animal and one of the most visible supporters of the Vice President, I deny, categorically, not only introducing but also, “preaching divisive countryman politics”. But I took note, continue to take note as I have done elsewhere in my extensive writings and public speeches regarding Liberia’s historical policies of ethnic/tribal, indigenous exclusion by one of the founding/political ruling groups of the Liberian state...

Charles Brumskine's guilty Outburst
By Jerry Wehtee Wion
He was born with a golden spoon in his mouth more than 60 years ago, into the tiny but powerful minority ruling class of the exclusive Americo-Liberians/Congua. He never denounced the repressive policies of the Congua-only one party state hegemony that turned natives/tribal or country people into slaves. President Charles DB King sold natives as slave. His kind forced natives to pay taxes when the lack of good roads, schools and healthcare, but he now professes to care about were the sole entitlements of his congua elites in their urban locals, and nonexistent in the natives countryside.

The Divide Between: “Americo/Congo” And “Country-Indigenous” Liberians
By Bai M. Gbala, Sr.
There had been, and is, rigid reality of a Divide – Socio-cultural, Ethnic-indigenous - between Liberians. It is the core of Liberia’s socio-economic and political under-development since 1847. No level of academic and intellectual verbal rationalizations can wish away this reality.

Patriotism: The Highest Qualification for National Leadership
By Martin K. N. Kollie
In most of Africa of which Liberia is of no exception, education is most probably considered as the leading qualification for national leadership. Overtime, this mentality has proven false and futile. In some countries, even the most educated or academically qualified have failed miserably and performed dismally. Liberia is a perfect case to reference under President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf

The Gloves Are Off:  The New Dawn In Analyzing Liberia’s Failure, Post Taylor
By J.  Nhinson Williams
My 9-year old daughter asked me recently: “Daddy, why was your country’s president honored last week by all its ambassadors from countries around the world?” I had no reasonable and honest answer to provide. 

Keynote Speaker: Former Interim President Amos Claudius Sawyer

Former Interim President Amos Claudius Sawyer To Serve As Keynote Speaker At The Liberian Studies Association's 49th Annual Conference
Dr. Amos Claudius Sawyer served as President (1990-1994) of the Interim Government of Liberia following the assassination of its embattled leader, Samuel K. Doe. Dr. Sawyer is currently the Chairman of the Governance Reform Commission in Liberia, which has y become the Governance Commission. He has several published peer reviewed articles and books, including “African Politics and the Future of Democracy” (2015), ”African Development in the 21 st Century” (2014), “Challenges of Governance Reform in Liberia” (2013), and “Beyond Plunder: Toward Democratic Governance in Liberia” (2005), which explored the development of multi-party democracy in the country

Liberian Studies Association 49th annual Conference Call for Proposals
A Press Release Issued By Liberia Studies Association
The Liberian Studies Association (LSA), the largest body of scholars working on Liberia, invites proposals for papers, panels, and roundtables related to theme and subthemes of its 49th Annual Meeting scheduled to take place at Ramapo College of New Jersey from March 30th – April 2nd, 2017. Theoretical and empirical papers, action research and case studies on the above theme and subthemes using a range of scholarly approaches including qualitative, quantitative and critical methods with data‐driven conclusions are welcomed. Subthemes:

Can Israel Fight A War On Three Fronts? A Nightmarish Scenario
By Dr. Alon Ben-Meir
Although Prime Minister Netanyahu is known for his focus on the Palestinian and Iranian threats to Israel’s national security, in recent months he has increasingly sounded the alarm over Iran in particular rather than the Palestinians. As the defeat of ISIS in both Iraq and Syria is all but inevitable, Netanyahu’s main concern now is that Iran will insist on maintaining a strong foothold in Syria by establishing a significant military presence as recompense for its continuing support of the Assad regime throughout the civil war

NEC Chairman Jerome Korkoyah

The Stakes Have Never Been Higher!
By John H.T. Stewart, Jr.
The stakes have never been higher in Liberia’s recent political history. For the first time ever since the death in 1971 of President Tubman and the smooth peaceful accession to power of his vice president, the country will be witnessing what is expected to be a peaceful transition of power from a 12 year ruling incumbent to a new democratically elected successor.

Century Of Moral Decadence, Public Dishonesty & Under-Development Continue In Liberia
By Bai M. Gbala, Sr.
We begin this report (predicated on the latest headlines of March 9, 2017) with the Ministry of Finance & Development Planning (MF&DP). In several articles, we held that the new, tongue-twisting Super Ministry (merging of the Ministries of Finance and Economic Affairs) and its former Bureau of Revenue, now the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), had been, and are the nation’s...

Mills Jones, Others, Wait For 2023 Elections
By Jerry Wehtee Wion
It is over for Dr. Mills Jones and others who are trapped under the weight of the Code of Conduct (COC) law. In the 2023 presidential elections, we will be talking about precedent set under the COC law and the finality over the law based on this ruling by the Supreme Court of Liberia on March 3, 2017. And so we move on to the potential next hurdles: the 10-year residency clause and the dual citizenship role of contestants.

VP Joseph N. Boakai

Echoes From The Hill-Top: VP Boakai On “Splitting Point”
By Bai M. Gbala, Sr.
In an exclusive interview by the FrontPagenewspaper, Vice President Joseph Boakai left no stone unturned in making clear his personal and official relationship with Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as a friend; as President of the Nation; and as Head of their Unity Party, and he, as Deputy President of the Nation (Front Page Africa, March 1, 2017).

I Sense A Plethora Of Lawsuits: 2017 Elections Results Could Be Challenged
By Jerry Wehtee Wion
The National Elections Commission of Liberia (NEC) must be smart enough and must know better to uphold the Code of Conduct law and the Supreme Court of Liberia decision or else the NEC could face legal actions in court that will seek to invalidate the outcome of any elections outcome if the NEC puts on the ballot name or names of candidates who fall short of satisfying the Code of Conduct Law.

Literally, The “Call To Arms” That We Tribal People Validated
By Jerry Wehtee Wion
I have been vindicated by VP Joe Boakai's statement that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is not supporting him to succeed her. Thank you, Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai. This validates literally the “call to arms” that we tribal people need to unite to contest the presidential elections in October. Ellen and the Americo-Liberians/Congua see Liberia only as their money-making plantation.

U. S. President Donald J. Trump

Trumpism And Anti-Semitism
By Dr. Sam Ben-Meir
The United States is witnessing a disturbing rise in anti-Semitic acts, which are sweeping over the country in wave after wave. In St. Louis, more than a hundred tombstones were tipped over; similar hate crimes have taken place in Philadelphia and New York. Attacks are taking place not only in cities across the country, but also in small towns.

Have Liberians Forgotten About Past Fraudulent Elections?
By Jerry Wehtee Wion
Apparently most Liberians have forgotten about the fraudulent nature that characterized both the 2005 and 2011 presidential elections by the National Elections Commission.

Open Letter to Chairman Jerome G. Kokoya of NEC
By Martin K. N. Kollie
In an effort to sustain long-lasting peace, uphold democratic values, promote national unity and pursue a new era of social justice and economic parity through patriotism, nationalism and fraternal love, I reverently extend my sincere compliments and courtesy to you and your fellow commissioners.

Artist Unkown

A Legislature of Indigenous Vampires – Part 2
By Martin K. N. Kollie
During her 10th State of the Nation Address on January 26, 2015, President Sirleaf was correct when she renamed corruption from public enemy number one to a vampire of development and obstruction of progress. Corruption is not only when one illegally converts public resources into his/her personal account, but it is when a group of public officials unpatriotically...

President Sirleaf’s Reported Request For 25% Reduction In Salaries & Benefits For Senior Officals Of Government: Our Response
By Bai M. Gbala, Sr.
Indeed, our Country had been, and is, a quagmire, as we observed recently, elsewhere that a “quagmire is an awkward, hazardous and complex situation; it is a muddled up, mixed-up, messed-up predicament; a difficulty, quandary, entanglement, imbroglio and a fiasco in many African, socio-economic and political affairs”. So it had been, and is, the state of affairs of the Republic of Liberia since its founding in 1847, throughout succeeding political administrations up to the day

Erdogan Exploits Islam For Personal And Political Gain
By Dr. Alon Ben-Meir
Anyone who follows Turkish President Erdogan’s political career cannot escape the conclusion that he has carefully and systematically crafted policies framed in Islamic clothing. He uses religion to present himself and his political agenda as if it is being sanctioned by a higher authority, surreptitiously uses Islamic symbols to indoctrinate the population with religious precepts, and promotes Islamic studies in schools in order to cultivate a new generation of devout Muslims loyal to him.

The NAKED Truth About 2017: An Analysis
By Stephen Johnson
The dawn of 2017 signals a new beginning for many Liberians. In addition to the many New Year’s resolutions, it is the year in which Liberians are expected to go to the polls to elect a president along with 73 representatives for the next six years. The process that has commenced with a voters’ registration exercise has seen many first-time voters forming long queues just to exercise their right as Liberian citizens. While it is true that many are reluctant and do not see the need to vote, others have mustered the courage to effect the change they believe will continue the country’s path to upward mobility

Former Bank Governor Mills Jones & President Sirleaf

"The Government Has Failed," Says Mills Jones
By Jerry Wehtee Wion
"The government has failed," says another Presidential candidate, Mills Jones who also milked the system with his reported US $20,000.00 a month salary plus benefits as Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia. And as Governor of the Cental Bank, Mills Jones helped President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to fuel the failure of the government by unlawfully and unconstitutionally diverting "over $10 million" of our money into Ellen's so-called private "development agenda account" at EcoBank

The Irony and Tragedy of Liberia’s Political Leadership: Promoting Pillagers and Dispossessing the People
By Moses Uneh Yahmia 
In an attempt to curb this economic enigma, the government decided to increase taxes on the already poor people. From amendments made to the Liberia Revenue Code of 2011 by the National Legislature about two months ago, taxes on goods and services were increased. Thus, the cost of production of goods like water, juices, and alcoholic beverages, as well as telecommunication services in the economy is now very high. Tariffs on goods imported by our mothers and fathers have been increased. To free a container of goods from the Free Port of Monrovia is extremely expensive.

Trump And Netanyahu: Embracing Illusions, Ignoring Reality
By Dr. Alon Ben-Meir
President Trump remained true to his customary flip-flopping on just about every issue when he stated during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Netanyahu that he is “looking at two-state and one-state, and I like the one that both parties like… I can live with either one.” By stating so, Trump gave Netanyahu what he was hoping to get - a departure from the two-state solution.

Politics is local, interest-based, race-based and ethnicity-based
By Jerry Wehtee Wion
If not, why do the Gios and Manos in Nimba County always vote for Senator Prince Johnson; the poor for George Weah and his CDC; and why do we say that Grand Bassa is expected to go to Charles Brumskine; Lofa will go to VP Joe Boakai; and Bong may go to Weah-Taylor or to Cummings-Sulunteh if Sulunteh is VP to Cummings, etc?

NEC Chairman Jerome Korkoya Must Stop Casting Blame and Deceiving The Liberian People
By John H.T. Stewart
The statement by NEC Chairman Jerome Korkoya that the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is to blame for the purchase of faulty camera equipment for the Voters Registration Exercise, the shortage of Optical Marked Recognition (OMR) forms as well as his disclosure to Prime FM reporter that NEC...

Liberian Lawmakers: Are They Fighting Over Money?

The Liberian Legislature: An Unholy Political Theater of Unrepented Crooks –Vote Them Out – Part I
By Martin K. N. Kollie
Why must a poverty-stricken nation like Liberia spend over US$170.8 million in 4 years on just 103 Lawmakers alone when education is a mess?  It is somehow difficult to determine which branch of the Liberian government is the most corrupt and the most unpatriotic, but one would reasonably crown the Legislative branch with such characterization. Undeniably, Liberia has one of the most corrupt and unpatriotic Parliaments in the World.

Sen Prince Johnson, VP Boakai and Clr. Gongloe

Can Prince Johnson Backed Boakai - Gongloe Ticket Save The Day For VP Boakai & Liberia?
By: Jerry Wehtee Wion
Should I have waited and kept my mouth shut until Charles Brumskine and VP Boakai pick their VPs? Then the damage would have gone beyond repair. So, our fellow native Liberian politicians, please hear me. But what I don't understand about these native political figures is, why must they run to political parties headed by Congua only to lobby for VP positions? Why? Are they not good enough to head the ticket and ask Congua or whoever to be VP to them? 

Prime Minister Netanyahu

There Will Be No Palestinian State Under Netanyahu's Watch
By Dr. Alon Ben-Meir
President Trump should not be swayed by Netanyahu’s duplicitous argument, however convincing it might sound, that he is committed to a two-state solution when in fact he has opposed and will continue to reject in principle the creation of an independent Palestinian state under any circumstances.

The International Criminal Court, United Nations, Member-States, And The African Union (AU): The Case For Democracy Under Law
By Bai M. Gbala, Sr.
The Court is designed to complement existing national judicial systems and may, therefore, only exercise jurisdiction where and when national courts are unwilling or unable to prosecute suspects, when the UN Security Council or individual states refer cases to the Court. The Court began operations on July 1, 2002, the date on which the Rome Statute, a multilateral treaty which serves as the ICC's legal authority and governing document,came into force.

President Trump

Relocating The American Embassy To Jerusalem: Attaining a major breakthrough from a potentially disastrous fallout
By Dr. Alon Ben-Meir
Should President Trump fulfill his campaign promise to relocate the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, it would have major regional and international repercussions. The Trump administration is currently reevaluating the implications of such a move and no final decision has been made. Given the sensitivity and far-reaching consequences, if he nevertheless decides to relocate the embassy it is critical that he concurrently takes a balancing act to prevent the potentially disastrous fallout.

Liberia’s Ear-Breaking Silence To Africa Union Threatened Withdrawal From The International Crime Court (ICC)
By Bai M. Gbala, Sr.
On October 12, 2013 at the Extraordinary Summit, the African Union (AU) declared that the “ICC should not prosecute sitting African leaders . . . that the indictment of H.E Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta and H.E William Samoei Ruto, the President and Deputy-President of the Republic of Kenya respectively...

Liberia National Police at GVL, Butaw - Courtesy of FPA

Wilmar Has Violated The Rights Of The Kapa Indigenous Community Of West Sumatra, Concludes RSPO
A Press Release Issued By the Forest Peoples Programme
Editor's Note: Wilmar owns 27% shares in SIFCA, a company that operates Maryland Oil Palm Plantations and Cavalla Rubber Plantations in Pleebo-Sodoken District, Maryland County.  Wilmar is a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. As a member of the Roundtable, Wilmar is obligated to operate in accordance with the objectives of the Roundtable. One of the objectives of the Roundtable states that “plantations apply accepted best practices and that the basic rights and living conditions of millions of plantation workers, smallholders and indigenous people are wholly respected.” But SIFCA argues that Wilmar does not own majority shares in the company, so the company is, therefore, not obligated to abide by the rules of the Roundtable, thereby leaving the hapless people of the district hopeless as the GOL continues to pay deaf ears to the rigor of plight of the people of Pleebo-Sodoken District. More besides, can the Roundtable apply the same formulae used in Kalimantan in 2015 and now in Kapa to Golden Veroleum, which is a member of the Roundtable,  operating in Southeastern Liberia?

George Oppong Weah

A Passionate Appeal to George Oppong Weah: Please Don’t Run for President of Liberia
By Jones Nhinson Williams
The Constitution of Liberia guarantees all natural born Liberian citizens, age 35, and with good standing, the freedom to seek the Office of President of the Republic of Liberia, provided they also meet the requirements of the National Elections Commission (NEC) of Liberia. Such requirements include registering one’s candidacy, and fulfilling certain demands etc.

President Trump

U.S. Congress Votes For Corruption By Overturning Historic Transparency Law In Gift To Big Oil
A Press Release Issued By Global Witness
Today’s decision by the Republican-led U.S. Senate to overturn a rule designed to stop oil companies striking corrupt deals with foreign governments is a grave threat to U.S. national security and an astonishing gift to big oil, said Global Witness. The news comes just two days after Rex Tillerson, a longstanding opponent of the law while CEO of ExxonMobil, was confirmed as Secretary of State, and the day after the U.S. eased sanctions on Russia.

Trump’s Determination To Cut Aid To Corrupt And Rogue Regime Around The World
By: Jerry Wehtee Wion
I have been warning the Liberian government that U.S. President Donald was about you cut off the American taxpayers' free money pipeline to corrupt and rogue regime around the world. That governments around the world that depend on American free money needed to adopt new measures to be financially self-sufficient in running their countries. And those that didn't take the warning seriously are now in for a rude awakening.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

President Sirleaf’s Favored Citizens: Monrovia-Landlords
By: J. Yanqui Zaza
Favoritism or Special Interest! President Dwight Eisenhower, in his farewell speech, on 01/17/1961, warned Americans about many issues such as protecting special interest. In Liberia, the warning about special interest came by way of three separate violent actions: the Rights and Rice Demonstration on April 14, 1979; the military coup on April 12, 1980; and the fourteen-year civil war launched on December 24, 1989.

Erdogan: A Classic Case Of How Power Corrupts
By: Dr. Alon Ben-Meir
Much has been written on the endemic corruption in Turkey which involves virtually every social strata - including political, judicial, government administration, private sector, civil society, business, and military - and which stands in total contrast to President Erdogan’s grandiose vision to make Turkey a significant player on the global stage.

President Trump’s Moral Harm
By: Dr. Sam Ben-Meir
During President Trump’s first full week in office he has begun to dismantle America’s moral standing on the international stage. From his reconsideration of CIA ‘black sites’ to his insistence on vast voter fraud, to his inhumane ban on immigration from Muslim countries, Trump seems to be intent on normalizing discredited policies, adhering to blatant falsehoods, and waging an assault on human dignity.

Charles Taylor, Jewel Taylor and George Waeah

CDC Bringing The Charles Taylor Regime Back To Power?
By: Jerry Wehtee Wion
"And now here coming out of the woodworks is the blunt talking NPP former Secretary General to affirm part of the Taylor prophecy about promised return of Taylor the Messiah. Cyril Allen says this about the George Weah-Jewel Taylor combo: "Well, they should bring the Taylor regime back; it's nothing wrong with it. It is part of the political process and the (ugly) political history of Liberia. I don't see nothing (anything) wrong with that. The NPP is a political party united under a coalition (and) if there is a victory, don’t you think the NPP should be part of the governing process of Liberia?," Allen asked.

Manipulation Hurts, How Could Liberia Avoid Manipulation Of The 2017 Elections? (Part ll)
By: James Thomas-Queh
The experiences from our countless national tragedies  since the death of President Tubman in 1971, are memorable testimonies that applying the usual unorthodox political combinations or manipulations to facilitate the continuity of new elites in power have proven disastrous for our nation. Therefore, Madam President,  do everything possible within your power to permit our people to vote free and fairly for their choice of a President in October 2017.

Dr. Togba-Nah Tipoteh

Unfair practices of the National Elections Commission (NEC)
The 2017 Annual Message To The People Of Liberia Delivered By Dr. Togba-Nah Tipoteh
Unfair practices of the National Elections Commission (NEC) contribute to the election of bad persons, persons who are corrupt and do not have the interest of the poor people at heart.The unfair practices of NEC are seen in allowing foreigners to run as candidates in elections, allowing foreigners to vote in elections, placing the wrong names of candidates on ballot boxes and determining a favored political party in advance of the 2017 election, when NEC announced publicly that the All Liberian Party is a civilized party. All peaceful efforts must be used to change NEC because the present NEC is not capable of organizing Fair Elections, especially in 2017.

Capacity Building to Sustainable Development Depends On A Functional System
A Speech delivered by Amb. Rufus D. Neufville
The significance of capacity building to sustainable development can well be stationed on a system that is functional and not one that merely survives. Professionals in most parts of the world work towards the sustainability of a system. In Africa, especially Sub-Saharan Africa, we build systems and try to sustain them at the same time.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's Annual Message
As you commence the sixth and final session of this august body, we will be submitting a number of bills for your consideration. These include: A Bill to Decriminalize the Violation of the Right to Freedom of Expression and to Repeal certain Sections of the Penal Law of 1978, and PRC Decree 88A; A Bill to Create the National Bureau of Concessions and State-owned Enterprises; A Bill to Amend the Act Creating the Monrovia Consolidated School System; A Fisheries Bill; A Bill to establish a specialized Court dedicated to cases of corruption and financial crimes;  A  Corruption  Offenses  Bill,  designating  corruption  and  specific  acts  of corruption as criminal offences under Liberia’s Penal Code;

Response To The President’s Final Message
By: Bai M. Gbala, Sr.
The facts of Liberian History tell us that Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the current, retiring President of Liberia and presenter of the Final Message, began her political career as an “Ideological Under-study & Foot-Soldier” of the True Whig Party (TWP) of our founding Fathers, the African-American settlers.

Erdogan’s Lust For Power Is Destroying Turkey’s Democracy
By: Dr. Alon Ben-Meir
This is the first in a series of articles based in part on eyewitness accounts about the rapidly deteriorating socio-political conditions in Turkey and what the future may hold for the country.During the past few months I interviewed scores of Turkish citizens who escaped from Turkey following the unsuccessful military coup, fearing for their lives. Many of them left their families behind, terrified of what to expect next.

Former President Yahya Jammeh

The Gambia political crisis: Some lessons from international law
By: Wonderr Koryenen Freeman
Yahya Jammeh has finally left The Gambia – of course with so much credit to the resolve of ECOWAS that the will of the Gambia people must be respected. Is this Africa coming of age or is this just an aberration for a continent better known for its failures and misadventures? Jammeh started out with the old dictator refrain of non-interference and chest-pounding of his ability to fend off any invasion by ECOWAS’ forces.

Manipulation Hurts, How Could Liberia Avoid Manipulation Of The 2017 Elections? (Part l)
By:James Thomas-Queh
Perhaps already gone with the winds, but few weeks ago the outgoing  US President, Barack Obama,  was outraged when he  accused the Russian President, Vladimir Putin,  of “manipulating” the US presidential elections. A high treason, no doubt, and  his  reaction was immediate and retaliation commensurable.  And for us  who have been  subjected to manipulations since eternity,  I believe we could learn a lot from this script of these two World Powers, and take cue to re-direct our national future.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Matter of Ethics
By: Bai M. Gbala, Sr.
Indeed, the unprecedented, present-prevailing rising/risen tide of flagrant dishonesty, decadent, moral rectitude of deceit, lies, thievery, graft and greed by highly-placed officials of the Liberian government – the National Legislature, Executive, Judiciary, all other agencies of government, the recent wave of resignations and flight/departure from Liberia - raise serious critical, crucial questions about the credibility, integrity, loyalty, patriotism and Legacy (“to be appreciated”) of the “democratically-elected” chief executive officer of the Liberian Nation, Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

Rex Tillerson Shares Exxon’s Tax Transparency Problems
By Zorka Milin 
United States citizens need to know that the people running our country respect the fundamental principles of our democracy. So it matters that former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson is refusing to provide his tax returns before becoming secretary of State. President-elect Donald Trump didn’t provide his tax returns before he was elected either, unlike every other presidential candidate in recent history.

U.S. Senate Must Seek Answers From Former ExxonMobil CEO About Questionable Oil Deals And Key National Security Issues Before Approving His Appointment
Global Witness
The U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations must probe ExxonMobil’s record of questionable oil deals, attempts to undermine anti-corruption policies and allegations of misleading the public on climate change, Global Witness said...

Price Gouging/Minuscule Price Offering: Liberia Paid $4M Or $17M For One Megawatt But Guinea Paid $2.3m; Americans Pay $38,000 For A Drug Today That Was Sold For $40 In 2001
By J. Yanqui Zaza
Once again, Liberians, in 2017, will be electing new leaders to shape the country’s destiny. And, of course the voters are frustrated with the state of the country and are hoping that a new leadership will fulfill the promise of financing social programs. Regrettably, unlike many other countries where politicians...

Task Force Say No "Sufficient Evidence" Former Sen. Wotorson; Rep. Fahnbulleh and National Security Agency Director Fomba Sirleaf
Montserrdo County Attorney Daku Mulbah who also serves as the lead Prosecutor in the case, said that the investigation continues, and will not close until there are convictions in the matter.

VP Joseph N. Boakai

An Introspective Look at the Liberian National Election (2017)
By Theodore Hodge
As a new national election season gets underway in Liberia, all parties, citizens and stakeholders must realize that a lot is on the line; perhaps it is fair to say everything is on the line. The upcoming election and the administration chosen following the EJS era will probably be the most important to glue together the nation’s tapestry, especially its fragile peace that hangs in the balance. That is the optimistic perspective. However, on the other hand, if we blow this chance and choose recklessly, there is a potential to plunge our nation back onto the edge of the abysmal pit of self-destruction. George Santayana, a Spanish-American philosopher, essayist, poet and novelist left the grim reminder on the wall: “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Ensuring The Success Of The French Initiative
By Dr. Alon Ben-Meir
Recent developments in connection with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict demonstrated the huge gap between the Israeli government and the international community’s position about the settlements in the occupied territories and the prospect of a two-state solution. United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, followed by Secretary of State John Kerry’s speech condemning the Israeli settlements and characterizing them as a major obstacle to peace, were largely on the mark.

Donald Trump, US President-Elect

2016: A Year of Surrealism (Part II)
By Theodore Hodge
In part one of this article, we discussed Merriam-Webster Dictionary’s word of the year, surreal, and its impact on our collective sensibilities. It will not be a stretch to proclaim Donald Trump’s successful presidential campaign as the most surreal event in the world. Yes, although only a domestic election, is it not written that “When America sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold”? Besides the word surreal, we shall also examine two other words: ‘post truth’ and ‘xenophobia’, chosen by Oxford Dictionary and Dictionary.com, respectively.

The Scepter of Justice Hangs over Liberia: Signs of the Time!
By Ivor S. Moore
Time is the ultimate rewarder of the deeds of man, whether good or bad or whatever there may be besides these two. Solomon, the wisest human in bible history, hit the cord of this maxim harmoniously when he writes in one passage in the Ecclesiastics that “for everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”

Anarchy Looms…
By D. Garkpe Gedepoh
"Turning and turning in the widening gyre, the falcon cannot hear the falconer; things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, the blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned" (William Yeats).

Liberia: Face to Face with the Consequences of Careless Provocation
By: Francis W. Nyepon
The Ellen Johnson Sirleaf administration is setting the stage for civil disobedience in Liberia. And if the administration is not careful, the economic, social and political issues facing Liberia will again reached a boiling point, which could become a matter of life or death for many innocent people. During the last few months of 2016, the Christmas holiday shopping season was a nightmare for over 80% of the Liberian people. The government's abrupt austerity measure to raise revenue on the backs of the people so as to avert budgetary shortfalls created by neglect, mismanagement, corruption and carelessness was seriously unnecessary.

2016: A Year of Surrealism (Part I)
By Theodore Hodge
For the past several decades, lexicographers and other linguistic organizations have observed a tradition of naming a word, or a group of words, as word(s) of the year. This year, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary has chosen the word “surreal” as its word of the year. A short definition reads: “very strange or unusual” or “having the quality of a dream”.