Kampala — The Charles Taylor saga raises more questions than answers. There is need to appreciate at this stage that pressure to have Taylor apprehended primarily emerged from Washington, rather than the more publicised quarters at Monrovia, Abuja or other African capitals. A reminder of the very fragility of most African countries and a situation that tests the very credibility of our continental and regional institutions, more specifically the African Union and ECOWAS.

Although Taylor and his state apparatus operated in a criminal manner, to fully appreciate the issues at hand one needs to contextualise the pressure leading to his arrest, When three years ago Taylor and his lieutenants of his National Patriotic Party military politico outfit were besieged in Monrovia by the LURD rebels, they had determined to cause a blood bath rather than either surrendering or for that matter fleeing into exile.

For they were all too aware of the consequences of both, that is in light of the recent past violent transitions in Liberian politics, which resulted for instance in the deaths of Master Sergeant Doe, or those of Tolbert and others even earlier; while exile merely assured his arrest, given the arrest warrant that had been issued by the Sierra Leone-based International Criminal Court.

It took the wise intervention of both the AU and ECOWAS to avert the danger of the looming massive loss of life in Monrovia. Presidents Obasanjo then AU Chairman, in addition to Mbeki of South Africa and Kuffuor of Ghana with AU backing persuaded Taylor to peacefully relinquish power with the promise of amnesty for his supporters and a safe exile in Nigeria.

Taylor complied resulting in turn into Liberia's hitherto promising democratisation effort that recently saw Ellen Johnson- Sirleaf getting elected - this in addition to an opportunity for peace for the Mano River Basin countries. Also, this was a positive illustration of the policy of African solutions to African problems.

America interferes

Not for long however, for Washington, always too eager to criticise and impose its will, pressurised the Johnson-Sirleaf administration to demand for Taylor's extradition from Nigeria. To ensure compliance the US withheld its development assistance to war bankrupted Liberia. It thus became a contest between democracy and justice.

Thus while the democratically elected Sirleaf administration had opted, through its mandate and wisdom, to move on and reconcile, Washington on the other hand demanded for immediate justice, through having Taylor arrested and tried regardless of the political cost! Hence the new Liberian government was rudely kicked out of its honeymoon.

This is a very fragile country, that is most likely going to face destabilisation. The much anticipated national reconciliation has been undermined, all due to Uncle Sam's bullying intrusiveness. For Taylor, who had won Liberia's first democratic elections with a landslide still has considerable support, both political and military, in Liberia and the region. For instance, the current Speaker of the Liberian Parliament is a member of his party.

Regionally, through Washington's bullying tactics ( President Obasanjo was nearly denied access to the White House on his recent visit after it had been reported that the elusive Taylor had escaped), the credibility of the AU and ECOWAS has also been fundamentally undermined, to the extent that on this continent of numerous political imperfections how would these bodies successfully diffuse potential political catastrophes involving this or the other African political elite? Because after what has befallen Taylor, it would probably be only the most credulous to trust such conflict resolution mediations.

Unholy alliance

Regarding Taylor and Liberia, Washington is not spotless and hypocrisy is the term that probably best defines their relationship. In the mid 1980s Taylor escaped from an American jail, from where he fled to conduct military training in Libya and eventually launch a successful armed struggle in 1989 that overthrew the Doe regime. Some have actually pointed to US complicity in this escape!

On the other hand, Liberia, whose meaning refers to liberty, was created by the US in the mid 1880s as an outpost for freed slaves. The irony is that subsequent American policy was characterised by neglect, with interest only coinciding with the demand to smoothly extract by US multinationals, as say Firestone from rubber, of huge profit margins from this poor country's resourceful economy.

This background of neglect most probably explains how the freed slaves, the Americo-Liberians soon adopted the attitudes of the former Deep South slave masters. This led to the marginalisation of the indigenous Liberians. For instance of the t22 Presidents it has had, during a period of 150 or so years, it's only the pitiful Sgt. Doe who was an indigenous Liberian! Even both the American educated Taylor and Johnson-Sirleaf are Americo-Liberians.

The context that led to Taylor's rise to power was one of a country that was war-ravaged, without functioning institutions and credible political class to mediate differences, but was concurrently rich in easily extractible natural resources - a situation the clearly talented Taylor exploited to his advantage.

The tragedy of Taylor and Liberia is that here was a man with the much required exposure and talent, who for instance had an American degree in economics, that however opted to behave criminally while in power, aggrandising both power and wealth for self, instead of instituting the required social democratic reforms he claimed to have fought for.

Unless the world invests in the creation of viable political economic institutions in both Liberia and Sierra Leone, this region is bound to breed similar desperado war lords, the types of Taylor and Fordey Sankoh.