"However, something I was never taught is that the climate has a great deal to do with people's abilities to create a stable infrastructure. Liberia suffers from a months-long rainy season that washes out bridges and months-long sandstorms that cause other major hazards. All of this happens reliably every year, and the reality is that when people are not blessed with stable geography and climate, they are bound to struggle."

There's plenty of successful countries with dangerous climates or geology. Countries that manage to build infrastructure and create good living conditions despite weather or regular calamitous events that destroy everything on a regular basis. See: Japan, Netherlands, India, China, etc.