Charles Taylor

NOW THAT the vanguard of West African peacekeeping forces has arrived in Liberia, discredited President Charles Taylor is the greatest obstacle to ending hostilities. Mr. Taylor must be held to his promise to cede power by next Monday, otherwise the whole peacekeeping contingent could be caught in a crossfire between his desperate loyalists and rebels who control most of the country. If he continues his cynical delay game past his self-imposed deadline, Nigeria ought to withdraw its offer for asylum -- and Mr. Taylor should be arrested and prosecuted as an indicted war criminal for his plunder during neighboring Sierra Leone's civil war. Liberians clearly cannot wait to get rid of him. The hundreds of civilians who scrambled onto the runway of an airport to greet the Nigerian troops yesterday underscored that Liberia is not another Somalia, which has haunted U.S. policy-makers since 18 Americans died in an ambush that led to a 17-hour battle in 1993.

A Secular Age By Charles Taylor Harvard University Press / 896 pages / $39.95 Although about 90 percent of Americans identify themselves as religious, we live in a secular age. We say "happy holiday" instead of "merry Christmas," fuss about the phrase "under God" and prohibit prayer, spoken or silent, in the public schools. If God exists, Woody Allen contends, "He's an underachiever." In A Secular Age, Charles Taylor, a professor emeritus of philosophy at McGill University, undertakes the monumental task of examining the rise of a "modern social imaginary," between 1500 and 2000, where religion has become separate from the state and faith merely one possibility, among others, including atheism.

THERE ARE many around the world, including quite a number of Liberians, who wonder how it was possible for Charles G. Taylor, the rebel leader who started the seven-year Liberian civil war in December 1989, to have won such an overwhelming victory in the country's July 19 elections.Of the 621,880 votes cast, representing approximately 85 percent of the electorate, Taylor's National Patriotic Party (NPP) won 75.3 percent, according to the final results announced by the Election Commission.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Nigerian authorities said yesterday that former Liberian President Charles Taylor, who was indicted on war crimes charges by a United Nations tribunal in Sierra Leone, had disappeared from his oceanfront retreat in Nigeria, in what analysts saw as a blow to justice and Liberia's hopes of recovering from its devastating civil war. With Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo scheduled to meet with President Bush today in Washington,...

On Wednesday, November 5, 2003; EDNA RUSSELL TAYLOR; devoted wife of Charles Taylor; loving mother of Charles A. Taylor, Jr. and Charlene Dilworth; sister of Katherine Terry; grandmother of six and great-grandmother of one. Services will be held at E.F. Lassahn Funeral Home, Kingsville, MD on Monday, November 10, 2003 at 1:30 PM. Interment in Belair Memorial Garden, Bel Air, MD. Visitation on Sunday from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 PM. Arrangements by Fleegle &...

WASHINGTON -- The accusation was sensational:Charles Taylor, the powerful Liberian warlord whose soldiers have been accused of cannibalism, had a controlling interest in a Maryland tree business that supposedly has earned a fortune doing work for Baltimore.The source seemed credible: William H. Twaddell, the top U.S. official in Liberia from 1992 to 1995 and now the acting assistant secretary of state for African affairs."Charles Taylor either owns or controls a tree-service company of that name in Maryland, a legitimate business that reportedly won a contract to provide all landscaping services to the city of Baltimore, thereby generating $2 million monthly to the business," Twaddell told a House subcommittee at a hearing last week.

CHARLES Taylor's little Libya-trained force started Liberia's civil war in 1990 to overthrow the dictator Samuel Doe, who was duly murdered by a rival warlord. Mr. Taylor is more responsible than any other individual for the anarchy, brutality, population displacements, societal breakdown and massive misery that descended on his country, which was founded by freed American slaves and modeled on U.S. institutions.Now an election has been held. Mr. Taylor appears to have won three-fourths of the vote for president in a field of 12. Admittedly, many demoralized and dislocated Liberians did not vote, but among those who did, Mr. Taylor is the overwhelming choice, perhaps because he threatened more war if he did not win. Jimmy Carter, the world's chief inspector of elections, said this one was better run than those he observed in Bosnia, Croatia and Haiti.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Nigerian authorities said yesterday that former Liberian President Charles Taylor, who was indicted on war crimes charges by a United Nations tribunal in Sierra Leone, had disappeared from his oceanfront retreat in Nigeria, in what analysts saw as a blow to justice and Liberia's hopes of recovering from its devastating civil war. With Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo scheduled to meet with President Bush today in Washington,...

Much as Americans deplore the catastrophe of social breakdown in Somalia, something similar is happening closer to home in Liberia, where American associations are greater. In a civil war with no winners, the whole Liberian people are losers. Some 20,000 have been killed since 1990 and twice as many starved to death.The American nuns, Sisters Barbara Ann Mutra, Mary Joel Kolmer, Shirley Kolmer, Kathleen McGuire and Agnes Mueller, all in their 50s and 60s, nurses and teachers, spent years in Liberia, helping its development and sharing the lot of its people.

Millard Francis Taylor, a retired Fort Meade engineer and Army veteran, died of heart failure at North Arundel Hospital on Thursday. He was 84 and had heart and kidney problems.The Severn native, whose nickname was "Mook," retired in 1972 after 32 years as a post engineer at Fort Meade, where he helped maintain water and sewer lines.Mr. Taylor served in England as an Army private first class during World War II.He was a member of the Severn United Methodist Church and Masonic Lodge No. 209 in Odenton.

Vernon Charles "Pete" Taylor, who pitched briefly for the Orioles' major-league predecessor, the St. Louis Browns, during a 12-year career in professional baseball, died of a stroke Nov. 17 at North Arundel Hospital. He was 75 and lived in Severna Park. Mr. Taylor was born and raised in Severn, and by his sophomore year at Glen Burnie High School he was considered a standout on the mound. "When he was in high school, he had a great curve, and as he developed, he got a great fastball," said Albert "Ding" Praley, a longtime friend from Glen Burnie.

On Wednesday, November 5, 2003; EDNA RUSSELL TAYLOR; devoted wife of Charles Taylor; loving mother of Charles A. Taylor, Jr. and Charlene Dilworth; sister of Katherine Terry; grandmother of six and great-grandmother of one. Services will be held at E.F. Lassahn Funeral Home, Kingsville, MD on Monday, November 10, 2003 at 1:30 PM. Interment in Belair Memorial Garden, Bel Air, MD. Visitation on Sunday from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 PM. Arrangements by Fleegle &...

IF LIBERIA'S peace deal is to succeed, it will require a new spirit of cooperation among the country's power brokers. Civil institutions must be rebuilt, new coalitions formed. Unless this happens, the transitional government, which is to replace the current caretaker president, Moses Blah, won't be able to function. Fifty-one percent of the 76-member top administration is required to approve any action it takes, and no single faction can hope to muster such a majority without seeking consensus and compromise.

MONROVIA, Liberia - Charles Taylor, an indicted war-crimes suspect and one-time warlord, resigned yesterday as Liberia's president and went into exile, raising hopes for an end to the West African nation's violent rebellion. Waving a white handkerchief to onlookers and accompanied by his wife, two children and several close aides, Taylor boarded a chartered jet bound for Nigeria, which had offered him asylum. Many of his supporters who gathered at the airport wept as Taylor flew off after ceding power to his vice president, Moses Blah.

NOW THAT the vanguard of West African peacekeeping forces has arrived in Liberia, discredited President Charles Taylor is the greatest obstacle to ending hostilities. Mr. Taylor must be held to his promise to cede power by next Monday, otherwise the whole peacekeeping contingent could be caught in a crossfire between his desperate loyalists and rebels who control most of the country. If he continues his cynical delay game past his self-imposed deadline, Nigeria ought to withdraw its offer for asylum -- and Mr. Taylor should be arrested and prosecuted as an indicted war criminal for his plunder during neighboring Sierra Leone's civil war. Liberians clearly cannot wait to get rid of him. The hundreds of civilians who scrambled onto the runway of an airport to greet the Nigerian troops yesterday underscored that Liberia is not another Somalia, which has haunted U.S. policy-makers since 18 Americans died in an ambush that led to a 17-hour battle in 1993.

MONROVIA, Liberia - Beleaguered Liberian President Charles Taylor reaffirmed yesterday his commitment to leave Liberia, but he warned that the nation had not seen the last of his administration. "We are not a vanquished government," Taylor told a cheering crowd that braved pouring rain at a rally. "This government remains the government of Liberia. And let me say to you, that the constitution of Liberia will prevail." Taylor's comments raised questions about his departure, a precondition for the United States to send peacekeepers.

WASHINGTON - President Bush's first stop on his Africa trip next week will bring him near several vicious, interlocking West African wars marked by atrocities against civilians, smuggled arms and gems, mercenaries, child soldiers and a flood of refugees. Senegal, the first of five nations Bush will visit, is a relatively tranquil and prosperous oasis in turbulent West Africa and serves as a pillar of democracy on the continent. But even this former French colony has seen fighting in recent years between the army and regional separatists, and American tourists are warned to avoid political demonstrations that sometimes turn violent.

MONROVIA, Liberia - Beleaguered Liberian President Charles Taylor reaffirmed yesterday his commitment to leave Liberia, but he warned that the nation had not seen the last of his administration. "We are not a vanquished government," Taylor told a cheering crowd that braved pouring rain at a rally. "This government remains the government of Liberia. And let me say to you, that the constitution of Liberia will prevail." Taylor's comments raised questions about his departure, a precondition for the United States to send peacekeepers.

MONROVIA, Liberia - U.S. soldiers sent to assess the nation's humanitarian needs met cheering, dancing mobs everywhere they went yesterday and listened to the cries of people declaring the demise of embattled President Charles Taylor. At one point, though, they had to turn back because a government official was upset that protocol had not been followed. Tens of thousands of Liberians poured into the streets as the U.S. convoy drove through town. Bare-chested boys, toothless old men and women with babies strapped to their backs ran alongside, laughing and chanting, "We want peace."

MONROVIA, Liberia - President Charles Taylor, in an interview, accused the United States yesterday of supporting his rebel enemies and pressed Washington to prove its commitment to Liberia by sending peacekeepers. He also added a surprising coda to his promise to step down, calling his exile a brief "cooling-off period" before a return to Liberian politics. Asked about his legacy, Taylor, who faces a 17-count indictment for alleged crimes against humanity in connection with a war in neighboring Sierra Leone, said he wants, above all, to be remembered as "the man that brought peace to Liberia."