Liberia’s Complex Relationship with the United States

In June 2025, Liberia was elected to a non-permanent seat (2026–2027) on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The announcement was met with jubilation across Liberia as many citizens viewed it as a landmark achievement for their small coastal nation of around 5.5 million people. But with the new position, eyes now turn to how Liberia will vote on the Security Council—particularly in light of its relationship with the United States, a permanent member of the UNSC, Liberia’s biggest ally, and a country who, despite its tilt to more nationalistic policies, is still viewed by many Liberians as a ‘big brother’ or ‘distant stepchild’ based on shared history.

PRE-INDEPENDENCE: THE LAND OF THE FREE

Liberia’s history has been entangled with that of the US since its formation, with Elihu Root, a former American Secretary of State (1905–1909), referring to Liberia as an ‘American colony’ in the 1910s. Although the land had already been inhabited by natives with a previous history of interaction with the Portuguese and Spanish, most accounts of Liberia’s history have been told from 1816, when the American Colonization Society (ACS) was established in the United States.

While diverse motivations underpinned support of the ACS, its central aim included plans to ‘repatriate freed blacks to Africa.’ To this end, the ACS enjoyed considerable support from the US government and prominent American politicians—including Presidents Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809), James Monroe (1817–1825)—from whom Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, is named—and James Madison (1809–1817), who served as president of the ACS.