Historical background on Liberia -- Overview of the Liberian civil wars / Samuel K. Doe's regime struggles to rule Liberia after the assassination of Tolbert / Child soldiers are used routinely in the Liberian conflict / Diamonds fuel violence in Liberia and surrounding countries / A peace agreement ends the conflict in Liberia -- The Truth and Reconciliation Commission states its findings -- Charles Taylor is convicted of war crimes / Liberian refugees must decide whether to return to Liberia / Controversies surrounding Liberia -- The Liberian war was fueled by ethnic tensions / The Liberian war was motivated by political factors, not ethnicity / The Sierra Leone/Liberian conflict was fueled by the diamond trade / Diamonds did not directly cause the Sierra Leone/Liberian conflict / Child soldiers should not be prosecuted for war crimes / There are legal and moral difficulties with refusing to prosecute child soldiers / ECOWAS peacekeeping efforts in Liberia were beneficial / ECOWAS peacekeeping efforts prolonged the Liberian conflict / Refugees, like those from Liberia, tend to spread conflict and violence / Refugees, like those from Liberia, have benefited the countries they entered / The Truth and Reconciliation report has helped Liberians heal / The Truth and Reconciliation report has caused dangerous divisions in Liberia / Personal narratives -- A Liberian woman remembers her chilhood and the 1980 coup in Liberia / A Liberian woman remembers fleeing Liberia as a refugee / A Sierra Leone man remembers being a child soldier / A Liberian woman remembers being a rebel soldier / Liberians in Minnesota tell stories of abuse and torture