Whose side are you on? an historical analysis of firestone's interactions with armed groups during the first Liberian civil war
A webinar led by Ishva Minefee
Ishva Minefee, a professor at the University of Illinois, addressed KEDGE faculty members and PhD students on 12 February 2025, discussing the interactions between multinational corporations and armed groups in conflict zones.
Multinational corporations often face dilemmas when interacting with armed groups during violent conflicts in the regions where they operate. Despite this reality, research into the dynamics and consequences of such interactions remains limited due to the challenges of accessing data on contemporary conflicts.
Ishva Minefee presented a historical case study on Firestone’s interactions with armed groups during the First Liberian Civil War (1989–1997). The analysis draws on U.S. State Department archives, court documents, and oral interviews with various stakeholders. It also incorporates stakeholder and resource dependency theories.
The study revealed that Firestone’s efforts to appease armed groups while maintaining the world’s largest rubber plantation inadvertently escalated the conflict, significantly harming local employees.
This case study responds to recent calls within the field of international business for archival studies on violent conflicts. It provides a unique opportunity to examine the interactions between multinational corporations and armed groups and their far-reaching consequences.
