Liberia: Political Transition and U.S. Relations (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Revised May 15, 2018 |
| Report Number |
R45195 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Cook, Nicolas |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
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Summary:
Liberia, a small coastal West African country on the Gulf of Guinea, has made substantial
development gains since the end of the second of two civil wars (1989-1997 and 1999-2003). In
late 2017, Liberia held its third post-war general election. George Weah, a former soccer star, won
the presidential election in a runoff and was inaugurated on January 22, 2018. Weah succeeded
two-term president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who was constitutionally prohibited from seeking a
third term, in Liberia’s first electoral transfer of state executive power since 1944.
Weah’s policy agenda focuses on four broad goals: improved service delivery and support for
marginalized groups; economic growth and diversification; the further consolidation of peace and
security; and improved governance, transparency, and accountability. Weah inherits significant
challenges from the Sirleaf administration, including the continuing aftereffects of a devastating
2014-2016 outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease, which undermined the country's weak health system
and economy. He will govern without support from a U.N. peacekeeping operation, known as
UNMIL, which provided significant post-war security and governance support for 15 years until
its mandate ended in late March 2018.The Weah government is likely to remain a recipient of
substantial bilateral and multilateral aid, although the extent and focus of this aid is likely to be
conditioned, in part, on his leadership and governance records.
The United States has maintained close bilateral ties with Liberia for nearly 200 years, with
periodic exceptions. Ties were particularly close during the Sirleaf years. The U.S. State
Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have administered a wide
range of post-war bilateral assistance programs, especially in the areas of health and economic
development. Liberia also benefits from programs administered by other U.S. agencies, including
the Department of the Treasury, Peace Corps, Defense Department, and the Millennium
Challenge Corporation.
Congress has maintained an interest in Liberia, and has held hearings on its post-war
development, stability, and democratization trajectories. Congress has appropriated more than $5
billion in post-war aid and assistance to halt the Ebola outbreak, and helped to foster relations
through a House Democracy Partnership with the Liberian legislature. Some Members of
Congress, often those with politically active Liberian-American constituencies, have also
supported the immigration rights of noncitizen Liberians resident in the United States.
