Freed American slaves settled Liberia back in the early 1800s. There has been a connection between the United States and Liberia since that time.

Well over 100,000 men, women and children have died in Liberia during the past 15 years in conflicts between the government and revolutionaries. The world community and some European nations, together with Liberians, have appealed to the United States to resolve the political differences and to stop the wholesale carnage.

The Economic Community of West African States has become involved and sent Nigerian soldiers to quell the violence around the capital, Monrovia. Some Liberians think such interference will only result in looting and stealing their women. Sending poor soldiers into the battle might also encourage pillaging.

Though the nation's tyrannical leader, Charles Taylor, has stepped down as president and gone into exile, the conflict between the warring factions remains unresolved. And with no electricity, little food and water, and deadly diseases spreading, little Liberia needs help.

But why should America help? Why is the United States interested enough to send troops to Liberia? America is the only superpower on the globe at this time, a superpower that sends goods, services and military forces to protect and relieve the downtrodden, something so deeply entrenched in its history that the word America is synonymous with helping others.

America has its own problems, to be sure, but it still strives to help and lift up the underdog. America remembers its historical connections. World public opinion still counts for something as well. Still, the United States must be careful not to overextend its God-given power and wealth, which are finite.

The infinite factor in America's ability to help others rests in Almighty God, as acknowledged by America's founding fathers in the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." After 227 years, America still carries this belief abroad, and the world is much better for it. To understand the biblical foundation of America's power and freedoms, request or download our free booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy.

(Source: The Washington Post.)