The Ties That Bind

On July 26th -- one hundred and sixty one years ago -- a colony in West Africa founded by freed American slaves declared its independence.  It would take the name Liberia, meaning "Land of the Free."

The symbols of the small, new nation reflected its founder's origins across the Atlantic.  Liberia's flag became a star in a blue field with red and white stripes.  Its capital, Monrovia, was named after U.S. President James Monroe.  Its national motto: "The Love of Liberty Brought Us Here."

But, after decades of bloody coups and civil wars, the Republic of Liberia is finally throwing off tyranny's iron shackles.

Under the dictatorial rule of Charles Taylor, the seaside country was shattered, sinking into chaos and cruelty.  In the grip of this warlord's wrath, more than 200,000 Liberians died.  About half of the population -- 1.5 million -- were displaced.  Almost all of the country's infrastructure was destroyed. 

Taylor's ambitious plot for territory and riches was drawn with blades and bullets, and thickened by blood.  He stirred rebellion and exported evil to neighboring Sierra Leone, plundering the region's hot diamonds to finance cold-hearted mass murder. 

In the civil wars that raged in both countries, tens of thousands of innocent civilians were killed.  Countless others had their arms, legs and ears chopped off.  Women were made into sex slaves, often gang-raped at gunpoint.  Children were pressed into soldier's service, often brainwashed and drugged into slaughtering their own parents.  The killing fields became their classrooms.  This was where terror reigned and horror prevailed -- a world turned upside down.

Now, five years later, the long night's darkness is lifting.  And, Liberia is rising again.

Today, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the President of Liberia, winning a free and fair election in 2005 to become the first woman elected to lead an African nation.  Her groundbreaking inauguration ushered in a period of hope, change and renewal.  In a country where so many parents lost their children and so many children lost their childhood, the Harvard-educated economist is known by many simply as "Ma."

Since taking office, the Sirleaf Administration has moved with the determination and diligence and dispatch of a government that knows the hour's urgency.  President Sirleaf established initiatives to investigate human rights abuses during the war; to root out widespread corruption; to provide free, compulsory primary education for all children; and to cancel more than a billion dollars of international debt, much of which was accumulated under previous, corrupt and repressive regimes.

At the invitation of President Sirleaf, I traveled last summer with my colleagues in Congress to Liberia.  We walked among the fertile fields -- rich with gold and diamonds, but impoverished by corruption and conflict.  I talked with Liberians eager to reclaim their lives and rebuild their land.  I'm a witness to a country in transition -- moving from autocracy to democracy.

While U.N. Peacekeepers continue to patrol Liberia's streets, former fighters have put down their guns.  Charles Taylor sits in prison, standing trial in the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity.  More than 100,000 refugees have returned home.  Men and women are finding work and wages in upstart enterprises and restarted industries.  Children are once again going to school, toting books instead of guns.  The steady rhythms of normal life are slowly returning.

But, real risks remain.

Liberia is still a fragile and forming democracy, where small cracks may lead to a big collapse.  The consequences of such a breakdown would be catastrophic: as failing states become breeding grounds for hatred and violence; training camps for crime and terror.  Their dangers soon spin out of control, spilling over natural boundaries and man-made borders.  Indeed, what happens in distant places has impacts right here at home.  That's the bitter, tragic lesson of Afghanistan and Sudan and Somalia.

At this critical moment, the United States is as necessary and vital as ever in helping Liberia to sustain and solidify peace and progress.  Having played a pivotal role in forcing tyranny out of Liberia, our country has a strategic interest in preventing its return.  In fact, in a documentary film about her first year in office, President Sirleaf talked candidly about threats to Liberia's nascent democracy.  She made this confession: "My biggest fear is that a small group might succeed in trying to return us to conflict.  It will always remain a fear until we've done enough in responding to the needs of the population..."

So, I'm introducing today the Liberia Stabilization, Economic Empowerment, Development and Security Act -- the "Liberia SEEDS Act" -- to provide the Liberian government with critical assistance in responding to those needs.  It is a component of principled, proactive and preventive foreign policy. 

In a country with no running water and no electricity anywhere -- except from private generators -- the bill authorizes assistance to rebuild Liberia's fallen infrastructure.  The Development Assistance (DA) funds will be used to reconstruct roads and bridges; to restore water and sanitation systems; and to rehabilitate the electricity grid to high-priority areas and institutions.  These funds also will support efforts to retrain and employ former combatants and war-affected youth, enabling them to pick up tools to rebuild the country, rather than weapons to destroy it. 

In a country accustomed to rampant, systemic corruption, the bill authorizes assistance to establish a new training institute for public-sector employees.  The Economic Support Fund (ESF) will be used to enhance the Liberian government's capacity, transparency and operational effectiveness, making it more accountable, more responsive and more attractive to private and international investment. 

In a country wracked by chaos and conflict, the bill authorizes assistance to strengthen law and order.  The International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement (INCLE) funds will be used to enhance the Liberian National Police Academy; to improve police operational capabilities; to provide vital police equipment and training; and to promote human rights and the rule of law. 

This bill makes a modest and prudent investment, authorizing $225 million in aid to Liberia over five years, from fiscal year 2009 to 2013.  It's a hand up -- not a hand out -- to an ally hurrying to her feet, reaching for the future.

Those who may blink at the bill's cost must instead consider its benefits.  Perhaps, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf put it best.  Addressing a joint session of Congress in March of 2006, President Sirleaf said this:

"What is the return on an investment that trains young combatants for life, rather than death?  What is the yield when our young men can exchange their guns for jobs?  What is the savings in food aid when our people can feed themselves again?  What is the profit from educating our girls to be scientists and doctors?  What is the dividend when our dependence ends, and we become true partners rather than supplicants?"

The Liberia SEEDS ACT answers the call and responds to the challenge. 

This bill provides Liberia with seeds -- the seeds it needs for a lasting, durable peace...the seeds it needs for a stronger, more stable democracy...the seeds it needs for a fairer, more effective government...the seeds it needs for a more efficient, more productive market-driven economy...the seeds it needs for a better, brighter and more prosperous future.

What better way to honor our shared values, reinforce our deep, historic ties and help the Liberian people celebrate Independence.