The Evolution of Deadly Conflict in Liberia: From 'Paternaltarianism' to State Collapse (Hardcover)

~ Jeremy Levitt (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This book represents the first attempt to holistically document and analyze the causes of deadly conflict in Liberia from its founding to the present. It reconstructs and examines the root, operational, and catalytic causes of seventeen internal deadly conflicts that transpired in Liberia between 1822 and 2003, including the 1980 coup d’état against the Tolbert regime and the Liberian Civil War (1989-1997) (Great War). The book seeks to answer two primary questions: what are the historical causes of deadly conflict in Liberia, and to what extent has the evolution of settler nationalism contributed to the stimulation of conflict between settler and native Liberians?

To answer these questions, Levitt examines a continuum of circular causation among the state of affairs that led to the founding of the Liberian State, the evolution of settler authoritarianism and nationalism, and internal conflict. By analyzing these processes together, the causes of seventeen conflicts are revealed and thoroughly discussed. The book also has three major objectives: to determine the historical causes of deadly conflict in Liberia, in particular, the underlining historical phenomena responsible for birthing the Great War; to present an alternative framework to comprehend and examine the aged conflict dynamic between settler and indigenous Liberians, and within Liberian society itself; and to produce the first comprehensive study of deadly conflict in Liberia.

This book advantageously spans the fields of political science, history, international law, and peace and conflict studies; it is an excellent interdisciplinary choice.

About the Author

Dr. Levitt is an Assistant Professor of Law and the Director of the Center on International Law, Policy and Africa at DePaul University College of Law.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 317 pages
• Publisher: Carolina Academic Press (August 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0890892121
• ISBN-13: 978-0890892121
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #440,733 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Evolution of Deadly Conflict in Liberia is a timely and sophisticated must read!, June 24, 2005

By	Dr. Matthew C. Whitaker (Assistant Professor of History, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

In The Evolution of Deadly Conflict in Liberia, Professor Jeremy Levitt has produced a timely, probing, sophisticated and instructive book. By employing an interdisciplinary approach (incorporating history, political science, and peace and conflict studies), Levitt unravels and contextualizes one of the world's most complicated, nuanced and tragic histories (and contemporaries crises), with stinging precision and humanist sensitivity.

Accessible and balanced, scholars, lay readers and anyone interested in global politics, the international legacy of colonialism, international law, history, political science, the African Diaspora, and the exigencies of deadly conflict, will want to purchase this book. I highly recommend it!

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Overview, January 4, 2007

By	khultukun "khultukun" (NY) - See all my reviews

This is ambitious book is an engaging read and an excellent introduction to the remarkable history of Liberia.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An in depth analysis., March 24, 2006

By	TinkEsq. (WPB, FL) - See all my reviews

Dr. Levitt looks at Liberia and provides a comprehensive analysis and history of the government struggles since the Republic's founding by the ACS.