Ivory Coast

[davidbfpo]

Maybe helpful, an article on Laurent Gbagbo, the incumbent President who is resisting calls to stand down after the national election:http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserve...bo-david-smith

[carl]

Maybe helpful, an article on Laurent Gbagbo, the incumbent President who is resisting calls to stand down after the national election:http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserve...bo-david-smith

David:

The most interesting quote in that story is this one by Richard Dowden of the Royal African Society regarding Mr. Gbagbo and company "These are all smart, Sorbonne-educated, sophisticated international people, so I don't know how they think they can get away with this. If it was a jumped-up sergeant major or colonel who had never been outside the country, it would be easier to understand."

That may or may not say something about Mr. Gbagbo and his people but it speaks volumes as to how Mr. Dowden at least, can let a diploma confuse him about human nature.

[Stan]

Hey Carl,
Remember the term WAWA ? There are certainly hundreds of versions, but essentially, you can take (educate if you will) the man out of WAWA, but you can't take WAWA out of the man.

I was sending on average 70 Zairois a year to NCO and Officer courses. Some as much as a year in the States. Would have thought a little of the better life and an education would have changed things. Nope, back to the former way of doing business.

American and European expats who have lived in West Africa can occasionally be heard to utter in complete frustration "West Africa Wins Again!". Or "Wawa"! It's a sort of Murphy's Law writ large for the endless, and often bureaucratic, obstacles that can impede every step forward.

[M-A Lagrange]

I'm an impenitent Afro optimist, sorry.

Yes, ECOWAS is a bad solution and would probably extend any confrontations for several years (cf Liberia).
Well, that could be a nice opportunity for a mission in a better setting than DRC.

[davidbfpo]

A BBC report on the viability of an armed African intervention:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12083228

Within is a local analyst's viewpoint:

Key countries that would have to contribute may not have the political stomach and the temerity...Nigeria is heading towards elections and may not want to put in troops on the ground for that a long time; Ghana has elections in 2012 and Senegal has its own problems with dynastic succession.

Elsewhere I posted an IISS commentary on the AU's standby forces and here is the link:http://www.iiss.org/publications/str...ll-on-standby/

[Stan]

In fact what will inevitably happen if Nigeria troops enter Cote d'Ivoire under whatever sanctions, local Nigerians living in the Ivory Coast will be subjected to some harsh realities... African Style.

Dozens of people gathered outside the Nigerian embassy holding signs that read: "We don't want a military intervention" and "Let Ivoirians solve Ivorian problems."

I don't actually agree with "It's time for Africans to fix their problems" because I've seen just how they all end up manipulating each other to no end.

[Rex Brynen]

I don't actually agree with "It's time for Africans to fix their problems" because I've seen just how they all end up manipulating each other to no end.

Yes, its a good thing none of the Great Powers ever do that