Two Centuries of U. S. Military Operations in Liberia: Challenges of Resistance and Compliance

Abstract

This book reviews the history of United StatesLiberia relations from around the 1820s to 2015, with particular attention paid to the role of the US armed forces. Contrary to most literature on the genesis and development of Liberia, this book demonstrates how US military power has been the primary influence shaping the Liberian state. This includes the role played by the US military in the founding of Liberia, the protection of the country during the European formal colonial era, multiple covert operations in securing US-friendly administrations in Liberia, and direct military interventions when necessary to secure American interests in the region. The book is predominantly based on primary sources, or documents and interviews that are as close to the primary source as possible. Based on these sources, it is shown that Liberia was the most crucial American foothold in Africa for more than a century. The frequent visits by the US Navy in combination with a comprehensive military strategy for the country provided the fundamental security structure necessary for the development of important economic activities. For example, in 1926, Firestone Rubber Company established one of the worlds most extensive rubber plantations in Liberia in order to break the British rubber monopoly, thus securing reliable supplies of rubber to the US armed forces and industries. Equally important, in 1948, former US Secretary of State Edward Stettinius Jr. established the Liberian Registry, which became one of the largest off-shore ship registries in the world, allowing sensitive goods to be shipped discreetly across the world while providing economic advantages to shipping companies. During World War II and the Cold War, the US government (USG) established many critical military facilities in Liberia.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2020
Accession Number
AD1097721

Entities

People

  • Niels S. Hahn

Organizations

  • Air University Press

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Employment
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Market Economy
  • Military Science
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Political Systems
  • Public Administration
  • Recreation
  • Sociopolitics
  • Treaties
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • History

Readers

  • Cybersecurity.
  • International Relations, focusing on Korea-Africa and North Korea-South Korea relations, and Nigeria-Latin American Relations.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.