This is not full absolution, but Ms. Sirleaf did inherit a shell of a country with only a tenuous peace. Ms. Sirleaf may also have weakened her own hand by governing well. Dictators of years past ruled by fiat or by weighting nothing-for-nothing bargains with a simple, loaded question: “You have a daughter, right?” Ms. Sirleaf removed brute force from Liberia’s political playbook. Mr. Weah should instruct the finance ministry to allocate funds only to government entities with an approved procurement plan. Mr. Weah faces a moment of consequence and a rare opportunity to build on Ms. Sirleaf’s successes.

Source: New York Times January 21, 2018 19:52 UTC