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CNN Live Saturday
What Will Mission to Liberia Look Like?
Aired July 05, 2003 - 18:27 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: What would a humanitarian and peacekeeping mission look like if President Bush decides to send U.S. troops to Liberia? Well, let's ask military analyst Don Shepperd. The retired general joins us by phone from Tucson, Arizona. General, thanks for joining us.
MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: My pleasure, Kelli.
ARENA: Well, let's start with the question that I have which is do we have enough resources to send troops into Liberia given the amount that the U.S. already has on its plate?
SHEPPERD: Short answer is yes we do, Kelli. Yes, we're stretched thin as a military because of all the places we are around the world but this is going to be a relatively small effort. Reportedly, the numbers being bandied about the 15-member (unintelligible) from West Africa has talked about 2,000 U.S. troops backed up by around 3,000 West African troops.
So, it would be a fairly small contingent and we can easily do that, especially since we are welcomed in this case by both sides, and further, since there's a good port facility right in Monrovia, the capital city, and a good airport right outside of it at Robert's Field where we can go into and move troops in and out of very quickly. It should be fairly simple and the problem is, of course, is to get out do -- get in, do your mission, and then get out, getting out is always the difficult part.
ARENA: What would a humanitarian peacekeeping effort entail?
SHEPPERD: Yes, it's basically the same everywhere we go. Basically, you go in and you try to establish order. You try to disarm, get the level of armament down in the area. You try to keep the factions separated and apart and then you try to help establish services that are non-existent and then transition to a new government, and then of course get out when the mission is complete.
All of that is fairly easy except the transition to a new government, as we're seeing in Iraq right now and, of course, and then deciding when you can get out and when things are stabilized. It's always difficult but, again, in Liberia the difference is this should be a peacekeeping mission, not a peacemaking mission. That's different.
ARENA: But some experts, general as you know, say that this is an even more complicated situation than Iraq. I mean there is literally no economic structure. Health care, no health care to speak of and you have even very young boys trained as soldiers, so very, very complicated. Does this look like it would be something that would be very long term?
SHEPPERD: Look, this is always complicated when you step into one of these countries. Southwest or southern Africa is basically, equatorial Africa and sub-Saharan Africa is a basket case everywhere.
So, I don't agree that it's more difficult than Iraq because in Iraq you're trying to do it while you've got organized or semi- organized factions shooting at you there. There might be some pop shots taking Liberia but basically there's only three million people there. There is one major city and I think it would be a much simpler situation. You do have young, drug-crazed kids, and on alcohol and drugs that are, you know, paramilitary on both sides, what the difficult situation. But the U.S. is very respected and wanted by both sides desperately to step in and establish order and stop this fighting, which has really been going on since 1989. It's a terrible situation. My parents used to live there, and it's a very, very tough neighborhood.
ARENA: Well, does this mean that it's a less dangerous, though, situation? It may be less complicated in your estimation than Iraq, but does it mean less dangerous? Will we lose less lives in this mission, do you think?
SHEPPERD: Yes, I think, we will. First of all, I think there will be minimal shooting, because you don't have the heavy weapons like you do in Iraq, and you don't have the political situation where you have the Baathists on the outs that are basically, their interest is to attack U.S. forces and prevent reestablishing order. In Liberian situation, people want order. And although it's difficult, I don't think you are going to see much shooting in -- you could lose some lives, no question about that, but you don't have the big armaments, the paramilitary forces and the political situation of people wanting American dead like you do in Iraq.
ARENA: But how do you declare success in this type of the situation? When do you call it a day and say "Mission accomplished?"
SHEPPERD: Yes, that's always the problem in peacekeeping, that's why President Bush during his campaign spoke against peacekeeping. He has changed his tune since 9/11, saying, I think, basically, he now realizes that some of these situations form the conditions that lead to terrorists down the line, so we have to help them. There is no clear answer to when you say, OK, it's over.
Usually the United Nations, which is inviting us in this time, will declare that the mission is over and pull out once an interim government has been established that they feel can take over. But as we are seeing in Bosnia, as we are seeing in Kosovo, and as we will see in Iraq, this can be sometimes a very long process.
ARENA: Well, General, we thank you for joining us on this holiday weekend. We hope you well. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired July 5, 2003 - 18:27 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: What would a humanitarian and peacekeeping mission look like if President Bush decides to send U.S. troops to Liberia? Well, let's ask military analyst Don Shepperd. The retired general joins us by phone from Tucson, Arizona. General, thanks for joining us.
MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: My pleasure, Kelli.
ARENA: Well, let's start with the question that I have which is do we have enough resources to send troops into Liberia given the amount that the U.S. already has on its plate?
SHEPPERD: Short answer is yes we do, Kelli. Yes, we're stretched thin as a military because of all the places we are around the world but this is going to be a relatively small effort. Reportedly, the numbers being bandied about the 15-member (unintelligible) from West Africa has talked about 2,000 U.S. troops backed up by around 3,000 West African troops.
So, it would be a fairly small contingent and we can easily do that, especially since we are welcomed in this case by both sides, and further, since there's a good port facility right in Monrovia, the capital city, and a good airport right outside of it at Robert's Field where we can go into and move troops in and out of very quickly. It should be fairly simple and the problem is, of course, is to get out do -- get in, do your mission, and then get out, getting out is always the difficult part.
ARENA: What would a humanitarian peacekeeping effort entail?
SHEPPERD: Yes, it's basically the same everywhere we go. Basically, you go in and you try to establish order. You try to disarm, get the level of armament down in the area. You try to keep the factions separated and apart and then you try to help establish services that are non-existent and then transition to a new government, and then of course get out when the mission is complete.
All of that is fairly easy except the transition to a new government, as we're seeing in Iraq right now and, of course, and then deciding when you can get out and when things are stabilized. It's always difficult but, again, in Liberia the difference is this should be a peacekeeping mission, not a peacemaking mission. That's different.
ARENA: But some experts, general as you know, say that this is an even more complicated situation than Iraq. I mean there is literally no economic structure. Health care, no health care to speak of and you have even very young boys trained as soldiers, so very, very complicated. Does this look like it would be something that would be very long term?
SHEPPERD: Look, this is always complicated when you step into one of these countries. Southwest or southern Africa is basically, equatorial Africa and sub-Saharan Africa is a basket case everywhere.
So, I don't agree that it's more difficult than Iraq because in Iraq you're trying to do it while you've got organized or semi- organized factions shooting at you there. There might be some pop shots taking Liberia but basically there's only three million people there. There is one major city and I think it would be a much simpler situation. You do have young, drug-crazed kids, and on alcohol and drugs that are, you know, paramilitary on both sides, what the difficult situation. But the U.S. is very respected and wanted by both sides desperately to step in and establish order and stop this fighting, which has really been going on since 1989. It's a terrible situation. My parents used to live there, and it's a very, very tough neighborhood.
ARENA: Well, does this mean that it's a less dangerous, though, situation? It may be less complicated in your estimation than Iraq, but does it mean less dangerous? Will we lose less lives in this mission, do you think?
SHEPPERD: Yes, I think, we will. First of all, I think there will be minimal shooting, because you don't have the heavy weapons like you do in Iraq, and you don't have the political situation where you have the Baathists on the outs that are basically, their interest is to attack U.S. forces and prevent reestablishing order. In Liberian situation, people want order. And although it's difficult, I don't think you are going to see much shooting in -- you could lose some lives, no question about that, but you don't have the big armaments, the paramilitary forces and the political situation of people wanting American dead like you do in Iraq.
ARENA: But how do you declare success in this type of the situation? When do you call it a day and say "Mission accomplished?"
SHEPPERD: Yes, that's always the problem in peacekeeping, that's why President Bush during his campaign spoke against peacekeeping. He has changed his tune since 9/11, saying, I think, basically, he now realizes that some of these situations form the conditions that lead to terrorists down the line, so we have to help them. There is no clear answer to when you say, OK, it's over.
Usually the United Nations, which is inviting us in this time, will declare that the mission is over and pull out once an interim government has been established that they feel can take over. But as we are seeing in Bosnia, as we are seeing in Kosovo, and as we will see in Iraq, this can be sometimes a very long process.
ARENA: Well, General, we thank you for joining us on this holiday weekend. We hope you well. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
