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The article presents information on the Liberian shipping industry. It is one of many which provide flags of convenience for ship owners who do not wish to comply with the relatively onerous registration requirements of more developed countries. Liberia offers low rates and minimal oversight for firms which fly the Liberian flag at sea. The extent to which this business served to enrich the Liberian warlord Charles Taylor is addressed, and an overview of the history of the development of the flag of convenience business is provided.

The article discusses Liberia, examining the steps necessary to help the country recover from its civil war. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has been the president of Liberia from 2006-2009, the article states, becoming the first elected female head of state in Africa. Topics of discussion include civil wars in Liberia that occurred almost without ceasing from 1989-2003, violence visited upon the civilian population by child soldiers, and more than 850,000 Liberians forced into refugee camps in neighboring countries.