Campaigner, insurgent, fugitive, rebel commander, commodity kingpin, elected president, exile and finally prisoner, Charles Taylor sought to lead his country to change but instead ignited a conflict which destroyed Liberia in over a decade of violence, greed and personal ambition. Taylor's takeover threw much of the neigbouring region into turmoil, until he was finally brought to face justice in The Hague for his role in Sierra Leone's civil war.

In this remarkable and eye-opening book, Colin Waugh draws on a variety of sources, testimonies and original interviews - including with Taylor himself - to recount the story of what really happened during these turbulent years. In doing so, he examines both the life of Charles Taylor, as well as the often self-interested efforts of the international community to first save Liberia from disaster, then, having failed to do so, to bring to justice the man it deems most to blame for its disintegration.

Colin Waugh grew up in Scotland and was educated in the UK before pursuing careers in writing and publishing, financial markets and international post-conflict work. The latter led him to live and travel in over twenty countries in Africa over the past two decades. In 2004 he wrote 'Paul Kagame and Rwanda', a career narrative of the current President of Rwanda. From 1996-97 he worked in Sierra Leone and later in Ghana, a country of refuge for many Liberians, before returning to Sierra Leone and Liberia itself in 2002, Charles Taylor's last full year in power.

Mr. Waugh currently lives in London, and recently has served on the advisory board of Columbia University's Institute of African Studies and as director of Lombard Street Associates in London.