Liberia, July 17 -- When Alexander B. Cummings called for international investigators and technical experts to assist Liberia following the reported US$19.2 million cocaine seizure at Roberts International Airport (RIA), the reaction was immediate and polarized.

Supporters viewed the proposal as a necessary response to one of the largest drug seizures in Liberia's history. Critics dismissed it as an unnecessary invitation for foreign interference, arguing that Liberia possesses sufficient capacity to investigate its own affairs and that calling in outsiders would undermine national sovereignty.

It is a debate worthy of serious consideration.

But it is also a debate that begins with the wrong question.

The issue is not whether Liberia...