ABSTRACT
Liberia degenerated into civil war in late 1989 and became protracted until consolidated efforts of the international community resulted in the signing of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the warring factions in August 2003. This chapter focuses on some of the key unresolved causes of Liberian civil war and the aftermath of the war. Liberia has a liberal market which in the pre-war past attracted significant foreign capital investments. A major task for Liberians is, therefore, to rebuild trust between all sections of society and promote ways in which people can live together peacefully. During this colonial period, the economy was a great challenge as Liberians found it extremely difficult to gain entry into markets dominated by the colonial powers. The turbulence that characterize that period in Liberia's history and was to punctuate much of its future to date may likely overshadow the positive attributes of the daunting task of building a nation.
