10 Questions for Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf

A former World Bank economist who once waited tables to put herself through Harvard, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, 67, was officially declared the winner last week of a presidential runoff in her native Liberia. She spoke to Claire Soares about her plans to heal the war-torn country--where the rate of unemployment is 80%--and how she earned the epithet Iron Lady.

YOU'RE THE FIRST WOMAN ELECTED TO HEAD AN AFRICAN COUNTRY. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU? It means that I have a great responsibility to meet the expectations of Liberian and [other] African women. I'm humbled by the challenge. I will be under...

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