Abstract
As a result of a "hurting stalemate" and the failure to
capture power through coercion, moderate elements within the US-based Liberian diaspora
resorted to soft power in order to have a greater impact on homeland affairs. The effectiveness
of the diaspora is aided by the attractiveness of diaspora success and US culture, the morality
of diaspora policies, and the credibility and legitimacy of the diaspora. The US-based Liberian
diaspora exerts soft power influences towards peace building via the following mechanisms: persuasion
and dialogue; public diplomacy; media assistance; and development assistance/job creation campaigns.
The study concludes that development assistance/job creation campaigns are the least sustainable because
of cost compared to the other mechanisms that attract a buy-in from the community. This research is based
on snowball and in-depth interviews with forty US-based Liberian diaspora leaders that also includes leaders
of non-Liberian advocacy groups and participatory observation of selected diaspora activities from 2007-2010.
It is also supplemented with content analysis of US-based Liberian diaspora online discussion forums and
archival records of congressional hearings on Liberia during the civil war. |