Bush May Send Peace-Keeping Force to Liberia If Taylor Quits

In a twist of international affairs, the United States is being pressured to send troops to a foreign nation. This time, however, the regime in need of change is in Africa. After several years of strife, Liberia's president, Charles Taylor, has been charged with war crimes and supporting rebel insurgencies in neighboring Sierra Leone. In the capital, Monrovia, local people are reported to be clamoring for Taylor to resign and for the US to step in to secure a cease-fire between government troops and rebel militias. The United Nations, France, and the UK are also urging Washington to help secure peace in the country, hoping the effects will spill over to the broader region and supplement their own peace-keeping efforts. US President Bush leaves on Monday for a visit to Africa, but before he goes the world is expecting some decision on the issue. While numbers of 500-2,000 US soldiers are being bandied about, some in the US Defense Department worry that even a small commitment of troops could spread the American military too thin, lengthening the long gray line that already stretches from Afghanistan to Iraq. – YaleGlobal