The United States should intervene in Liberia -- both for strategic reasons and because of its special historical relationship with the West African nation that was founded by former American slaves, says a Duke University scholar.

"The violent overthrow of the president is likely to exacerbate rather than end the fighting, both in Liberia and throughout the region," said Danny Hoffman, a graduate student in cultural anthropology who has done fieldwork in the region.

The two principal rebel factions and an array of loosely pro-government militias have no strong leadership other than President Charles Taylor, he said. If Taylor is overthrown by one of these factions, the country is likely to descend into chaos unless there is a U.S.-supported intervention.

U.S. interest in Liberia is warranted because the global trade in diamonds, arms and drugs passes through this area of West Africa; because of recent revelations that Al-Qaeda laundered money through Liberia and the Liberian-supported Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone; and because the long-term stability of Sierra Leone (currently the site of the largest UN peacekeeping operation in the world) is directly tied to events in Liberia, he said.

Liberia's political and economic fortune has been tied to the United States from its founding as a nation-state. Throughout the Cold War, for example, Liberia was a secure ally in the region, supporting U.S. policies in international organizations and supplying valuable raw materials to American corporations. For many Liberians, that relationship carries a moral weight and an imperative to intervene.

"From its founding by former American slaves, Liberia and the United States have shared a special relationship, though one more prominent in the consciousness of Liberians than their counterparts in the United States," Hoffman said.

Finally, in reshaping U.S. foreign policy, the Bush administration has placed increased emphasis on regional political organizations and targeted humanitarian relief, citing the tragedies in Rwanda and Somalia as evidence of UN failures, he noted.

"If the U.S. is to provide any form of alternative, it cannot afford to allow a tragedy to develop in Liberia," he said.

Hoffman, a doctoral candidate, did his dissertation fieldwork on the kamajor militia in Sierra Leone, a pro-government force that included a number of Liberian fighters and Sierra Leoneans with experience fighting in Liberia during that country's civil war. He has traveled in Liberia and with members of Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy, the main rebel group.

Hoffman can be reached for additional comment at (505) 982-7113 or (505) 470-6021 or by e-mail at djh13@duke.edu.