Taylor is Out

Sometimes the threat of force works wonders all by itself, so long as the threat is credible.
Charles Taylor has feld Liberia into exile in Nigeria. He wasn’t driven out by years of civil war but by a cocked American gun.

Taylor arrived in Nigeria hours after surrendering power to his vice president in the capital, Monrovia. Relatives, friends and some government soldiers at the airport cried and wailed as Taylor and his relatives left.
Rebel leader Sekou Conneh, speaking in nearby Ghana, welcomed Taylor’s departure from Liberia and declared: “The war is over.”
As Taylor left, U.S. warships appeared on the horizon off the coast — a thrilling sight for Monrovians desperate for an end to 14 years of war. Yet no forces disembarked and the ships soon withdrew from view.

He will not be missed.