Africa is emerging as a crucial focus area for United States security policy. The current administration's dual security and humanitarian goals give rise to the question: What is the real foundation of U.S. foreign relations with African states? Is it based in interest or compassion? To answer these questions, this paper makes a case study of U.S. relations with Liberia. Liberia, an independent nation in 1847, grew out of settlements established by freed American slaves in the early 1820s. Despite assisting Liberia at various times in its early years, the United States remained relatively disinterested in Liberia until after WWI. In the 1920s, the United States involved itself heavily in Liberian affairs, forcing to accept a contract with the Firestone Corporation and then attacking Liberia's sovereignty through the League of Nations to protect American financial interests. WWII eased U.S. pressure on Liberia, particularly since its geographical position in Africa made it strategically attractive to the United States, which built key infrastructure on Liberian soil. That strategic interest continued through the Cold War, the United States using Liberia as needed in the struggle against the Soviets. This interest peaked with the fall of the Americo-Liberian dominated government in 1980 and waned at the end of the Cold War when Liberia's strategic value dropped precipitously. U.S. policymakers took a generally hands-off approach to Liberia's civil war in the 1990s, although the reasons for this approach changed over time. In the final analysis, relations between the United States and African countries, such as Liberia, most certainly spring from self-interest. A unique opportunity now exists, however, to combine interest-based security policy with humanitarian efforts in establishing stable, flourishing societies in the African countries.

The Finance Formula is a system of preparation and business image positioning that causes banks and lending institutions to view your business as a stable, viable and low-risk profile... and to happily lend you money. While so many business owners & finance consultants are simply applying for funding at every lender that will accept an application and then hoping something "sticks," The Finance Formula will show you how to methodically influence a lender's automated system in a much more precise manner. You'll learn how to accomplish this without setting off any "red flags." Your business will quietly move through the lender's system. This results in multiple lenders approving you for financing without having to show stacks of financial documentation or risk your valuable assets as collateral. It's not about how successful or mature your business is... It's all about how you PRESENT your information to the automated systems. And, The Finance Formula will show you all of this and much more

This book defines over 3,000 terms from the field of education to assist those charged with teaching students to become global citizens in a rapidly changing, technological society. John W. Collins and Nancy Patricia O'Brien, coeditors of the first edition of The Greenwood Dictionary of Education published in 2003, have acknowledged and addressed these shifts. This revised second edition supplements the extensive content of the first through greater focus on subjects such as neurosciences in educational behavior, gaming strategies as a learning technique, social networking, and distance education. Terms have been revised, where necessary, to represent changes in educational practice and theory. The Dictionary's focus is on current and evolving terminology specific to the broad field of education, although terms from closely related fields used in the context of education are also included. Encompassing the history of education as well as its future trends, the updated second edition will aid in the understanding and use of terms as they apply to contemporary educational research, practice, and theory. 3,050 A-Z entries, including over 400 new and revised definitions 128 contributors from a variety of specialized areas related to education Three tables and graphs to illustrate specific aspects of mathematics and evaluation in education An introduction on education terminology by editors John W. Collins and Nancy Patricia O'Brien, distinguished librarians in the study of education Author attributions for each definition An extensive, updated bibliography of sources that identify and explain terms used within education