Professor Voices » Ivory Coast

Gbagbo captured

Jo Breiner — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:46:40 +0000

Charles Stith is the Director of the African Presidential Archives & Research Center at Boston University and a former US ambassador to Tanzania. He offers the following comment on the capture by French forces of former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo.

“That Gbagbo’s end has finally come is good for the Ivory Coastl, good for the region, and good for the continent.

“Gbagbo proved an axiom that I’ve coined: ‘Power is a seductive mistress, who once kissed is hard to walk away from.’ But, as is the case with all illicit affairs, the end is more often than not tragic.

“Had Gbagbo not been consumed by his lust for power, maybe he would’ve heeded the numerous overtures for a peaceful transition — and the healing his country so desperately needs could have begun months ago, without even more injury heaped upon it.

“This is the tragedy. The triumph is that with Gbagbo’s removal it seems Africa’s arc for the future bends toward democracy.”

Contact Charles Stith, 617-353-5452, crstith@bu.edu

Ivory Coast forces impose blockade around Gbagbo

Jo Breiner — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:09:42 +0000

The internationally recognized leader of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, has imposed a blockade around the presidential compound where Laurent Gbagbo, the incumbent leader who has refused to give up power, is hiding in a bunker. The following Boston University professors are available to offer commentary, analysis and insight on the current developments in the country.

Charles Stith is Director of the African Presidential Archives & Research Center at Boston University. He is also a former U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania.

Contact 617-353-5452, crstith@bu.edu

Timothy Longman is the Director of the African Studies Center at Boston University. He is also a visiting associate professor of political science.

Contact 617-353-2540, longman@bu.edu

French military ambition

Jo Breiner — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 16:40:40 +0000

France finds itself involved in three conflicts around the world: Afghanistan, Libya, and the Ivory Coast. Boston University international relations professor William Keylor is the author of “A World of Nations: The International Order Since 1945,” and an authority on the history of modern France. He offers his view on France’s new found military ambition:

“During the Cold War, France periodically pushed for a European (and mainly French) military capability apart from the overwhelming military force of the United States. From Charles de Gaulle to Francois Mitterrand, various schemes were hatched to achieve this result. None of them amounted to anything.

“In the same period, France launched military interventions on numerous occasions in its former colonies in sub-Sahara Africa, defending proteges from domestic threats or ousting leaders who had lost favor with the former colonial power.

“Now, President Sarkozy seems intent on resurrecting this old policy of robust military interventions, this time for humanitarian reasons in partnerships with the United Nations. Unlike in the past, now Washington appears to be supportive of these independent French operations. And polls show that the French public is strongly supportive as well.

“But the big question is, where is the European Union and its much celebrated European Security and Defense Policy?”

Contact William Keylor, 617-358-0197, wrkeylor@bu.edu