Dangerous Liaisons: Pat Robertson and Charles Taylor

Pat Robertson is one of the most powerful media moguls in the Christian entertainment sector. A graduate of Yale Law School, he has hosted of the TV program The 700 Club since 1966. The show airs on the Christian Broadcasting Network, which Robertson owns. He is well known in the popular media for his tirades against feminism, abortion, and homosexuality. He obtained particular notoriety for statements blaming the abortion policy in the United States for Hurricane Katrina. His name has appeared in the news even more recently, when he blamed the January earthquake in Haiti on a Haitian “pact with the Devil.”.

Charles Taylor, born in Liberia and educated in the United States, entered the international spotlight in 1989 when he led his National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) in an attempt to overthrow the country’s government, killing and displacing half the country’s population in the process. The situation deteriorated into a factionalized civil war, with different groups competing to control Liberia’s bountiful natural wealth. Taylor was eventually elected president in 1997, under the slogan “He killed my pa, he killed my ma. I’ll vote for him.” During his presidency, the country was racked by violence and insurgency. Under pressure from the increasing popularity of rebel groups and President Bush’s public statement against him, Taylor was forced to resign in 2003, fleeing to Nigeria in exile. Taylor was indicted for violations of international law in the same year and was arrested in 2006. He is currently on trial at the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

What could Pat Robertson and Charles Taylor, two men who have seemingly lived two totally different lives in two totally different worlds, possibly have in common? (One might argue that) they are both certainly of questionable moral fiber. Their connection, however, is more intimate than that. The two are business partners. Robertson signed an agreement with Taylor in 1999 that guaranteed Robertson’s Freedom Gold Ltd. the right to mine gold in Liberia. During his ongoing trial, Taylor has claimed that Robertson, as his part of the bargain in this business deal, was to use his political clout to enhance Taylor’s image in the United States and influence the policy of President Clinton and Bush in regard to the situation in Liberia. While Robertson’s lobbying effort was ignored, he continued to publicly and vehemently defend Taylor. A spokesperson for Robertson claims that the business deal was done to “promote economic activity and alleviate the suffering of the people of Liberia following a terrible civil war.” This could not be farther from the truth. It is clear that this is an exploitative, neo-colonial endeavor of a businessman looking to make a profit at the expense of people of Liberia and Sierra Leone alike. Instead of alleviating suffering, Robertson’s support of Taylor only perpetuated a tyrannical regime that funded some of the worst atrocities imaginable .

Nor is this Robertson’s first involvement in Africa. He made a successful plea on The 700 Club for donations to his tax-exempt nonprofit “Operation Blessing” to airlift refugees from Rwanda in the 1994 genocide. The blessing, however, was not something the Rwandan people came to appreciate. The planes were significantly less humanitarian than advertised, bringing more diamond mining equipment for his venture company than aid to Africa. This was blatant tax evasion and fraud, but Robertson had done well for himself politically. He had strategically been the largest campaign contributor to the Attorney General of the state of Virginia whose job it was, when this information came to light, to lead the investigation against him. No charges were filed.

It is yet to be seen if Taylor will be as lucky in escaping justice. He is currently on trial for supporting the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Liberia’s neighbor Sierra Leone. The RUF is a rebel group that took its inspiration from the work of Taylor’s NPFL and was funded by diamond revenues. Taylor helped the group in their campaign to secure the diamond mines of Sierra Leone, which were used to finance the conflict. Taylor saw this is an economic opportunity, and he traded weapons with Sierra Leone for diamonds. The war in Sierra Leone lasted from 1991-2002, killing approximately 200,000 people. The RUF is accused of committing unfathomable atrocities, including enlisting child soldiers and mutilating captives. These charges have been passed onto Taylor in his tribunal. They include five counts of war crimes: terrorizing civilians, murder, outrages on personal dignity, looting, and cruel treatment; five counts of crimes against humanity: murder, rape, sexual slavery, mutilating and beating, and enslavement; and one count of other serious violations of international law: recruiting and using child soldiers. Taylor’s initial prosecution began in January 2008, and the prosecution rested its case a year later after 91 witnesses testified. Taylor concluded his own testimony on February 19th, 2010, claiming that the prosecution had not proven a case against him and that he had never supported the RUF in Sierra Leone. The trial will continue, with others set to testify in Taylor’s defense.

There are two main points to take away from this situation. First, it is often revenues from natural resources (diamonds, gold, oil, and timber, among others) that fund and create military conflicts, as well as propping up oppressive regimes across the world. These goods are exported to Western countries, in this particular instance the United States and France, where consumers often have no understanding of the link between the goods they purchase and the violence which so often surrounds their production. Efforts at creating accountability, such as “conflict free diamonds,” while a step in the right direction, have proven to be ineffective overall as the global flow of diamonds is nearly impossible to monitor. Second, the connection between oppressive rulers like Taylor and fully informed American businessmen might be more intimate than American citizens would like. The Pat Robertsons of the world have as much of a role to play in these conflicts as the Charles Taylors do, but they seem to have a knack for escaping punishment. The precedent should be set that intentionally disregarding the consequences of exploitive behavior in order to obtain a profit will not be tolerated. Perhaps it is time for Robertson to take a seat next to Taylor and be put on trial for the crimes against humanity that he has committed.