The mask of anarchy : the destruction of Liberia and the religious dimension of an African civil war

This study of the civil war in Liberia is organized in two sections. The first, which is presented in the form of a chronicle, recounts the history of the Liberian war which began in 1989. Chapters 1 and 2 retrace the course of events at different levels of society, while at the same time attempting to convey the complexity of military and political affairs. After establishing the identity and motives of some of the participants in chapter 3, the author describes the nature of international actors (ch. 4). The second part of the book analyses the historical roots of the violence in Liberia. Chapter 5 examines certain aspects of Liberian history and Liberian society, notably the manner in which the national government in Monrovia extended its influence into the interior of the country over a long period. Chapter 6 concentrates on the religious history of these encounters. This is done with a view to identifying some of the psychological or cultural roots of the war, in other words the ways which Liberians have developed of thinking about the nature of power in their society and about their politics and which have guided the actions of various participants in the war (ch. 7)