A Challenge for the Incoming Joe Biden Administration

The American people spoke. They elected Joe Biden as the next president of the United States. Biden’s victory at the ballot box became clear after a nerve-wracking stone-hanger vote that saw Biden gradually reduce Trump’s lead and eventually overtake it to win the score in a decisive decision.

Joe Biden’s victory was welcomed by world leaders as well as the multitude of the American people. In many ways, his victory points to a shift from a divisive policy from the far right to at least a left-wing center-right shift that seeks to protect social gains made under President Obama.

Many world leaders have expressed optimism that the one-sidedness of US foreign policy under President Trump will change to one of constructive engagement and mutual respect, rather than the scurrilous “America First” position that was a hallmark of US foreign policy initiatives under Trump .

For us in this ‘sh * thole’ country called Liberia, known as ‘colds every time America sneezes’, Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump, as promising as it may seem, can be misleading.

In a cursory overview of the history of the relationship between the two countries, it can be seen that it was under a democratic government that President Tolbert was removed from office in covert ways.

It was also under a democratic government that led to attempts to discredit and obstruct the TRC report by government officials.

It was nevertheless under a democratic government that the US government took the lead in restructuring and retraining the AFL and state security forces under the Security Sector Reform (SSR) program, which turned out to be a sad failure and the results of which many late to wish.

Under a Republican government, about $ 1 billion is being aided by the Doe government.

It was under a Republican government that Secretary of State Schultz declared that the 1985 election was free and fair by African standards when it was an open secret that the results were stolen by President Samuel Doe and that Jackson Fiah Doe was the winner.

However, it was under a Republican-led government that Charles Taylor was charged with war crimes and removed from his power. It should nevertheless be noted that both governments, Republican and Democrat, have repeatedly stated in Liberia’s difficult past that the US has no strategic interests in Liberia.

This was proven in 1990 when a flotilla of American ships and troops anchored in the Liberian waters and came to a standstill while the country was burning, even though it was within their power and ability to stop it. Without saying so, Liberia’s quest for peace and security tends to be heavily dependent on US diplomatic and financial support.

And the peace it received was largely shaped as acceptable and not threatening to American interests, real or perceived. Ten (10) years after the submission of the TRC report to the Government of Liberia, for example, until recently the report remained virtually in a bad situation without any significant official support from the US Government for the implementation of the recommendations in the report. .

This situation occurs despite the fact that five U.S. citizens were killed in cold blood by individuals whose U.S. officials know their identities but still remain unpunished for their actions. The Liberian people have long wondered why this deviation continues, given the fact that the US has a history of going after those who killed its citizens.

Nothing, it appears, can explain such a deviant situation, and questions are asked whether this incoming administration will make any difference in terms of liability for the equipment.

All in all, Liberia may remain the only country in Africa that has blood ties with the United States.

In the light of the previous Liberian leaderships, the relationship between Liberia and the USA was a special one. Generations of Liberians were raised to believe that the US was Liberia’s natural and most trusted ally, characterized by a special relationship.

In retrospect, the special relationship was often one in which successive U.S. administrations supported fascist and corrupt dictatorships against the people. And the people’s hatred of such dictatorships often tends to fuel popular resentment against the US.

In just about 30 days, the election on December 8th is underway. At this stage no one knows for sure whether the election will take place, given the fear that the clearing of the voter list / register may not have been completed before the date.

And should the elections not be held, it will throw a lot of uncertainty in the process and raise questions about the legitimacy of the whole government itself. This is where the influence of the new incoming Biden administration will be crucial.

The US government does not have to wait for outbreaks of problems and confusion before it can respond. It should indicate where it is about the disturbing developments in the ongoing election process, such as the purchase of voting material outside the requirements of the law, the attempt to apply a highly compromised VR to the people and, finally, the refusal of the Supreme Court to stand by its own decision and mandate to clear NEC of the Voters Roll.

By seizing the situation and encouraging the government to do the right thing, the new democratic government can help prevent problems, chaos and confusion in the country and ultimately prevent Liberia from falling back into a renewed bloody civil conflict. .

This is the challenge for the incoming Joe Biden administration. Congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden. Liberia, the world is waiting for your leadership.

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