What About The Ivory Coast?
A lot of civilians are dying in the Ivory Coast [Côte d’Ivoire], so why hasn’t there been an intervention?
There is no room for a new intervention. The French Operation Unicorn has been in place since September 2002, and the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire followed in February of 2004 in response to UNSCR 1528.
When the Ivorian Air Force “accidentally” attacked the French units in the country, the French responded by “accidentally” eliminating the Ivorian Air Force. Notes of regret were exchanged regarding the “accidents”.
The former President, Laurent Gbagbo, lost an election to Alassane Ouattara according to everyone except Gbagbo and his friends, and refuses to step down. This has resulted in the civil war that French and UN forces have twice stopped, breaking out again. The situation is that the “government forces” of the Ivory Coast are fighting for a man the world considers illegitimate, while the “rebels” are fighting for the internationally recognized President of the Ivory Coast.
To anyone who thinks the US should get involved I would ask how? People are being killed by small arms fire and edged weapons. There is no simple way of knowing who is doing what to whom. This is why “one size fits all” doesn’t work in interventions. Taking out air forces and eliminating armor is a simple straight-forward operation that eliminates “wholesale” slaughter, but once it becomes “retail” you need very large armies on the ground to reduce it.
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When the Ivorian Air Force “accidentally” attacked the French units in the country, the French responded by “accidentally” eliminating the Ivorian Air Force. Notes of regret were exchanged regarding the “accidents”.
This has me ROFL for some reason. Does that make me a bad penguin? 😈
– Badtux the Laughing Penguin
Diplomacy is a mysterious thing – as much farce as art. “Willing suspension of disbelieve” is required, just like the theater, really. They tell each other absurd things, and then everyone pretends to believe it.
That’s why everyone is hyperventilating about Wikileaks’ diplomatic cables release – they have to admit that everyone knows that reality and diplomacy have nothing in common.
This has me ROFL for some reason. Does that make me a bad penguin?
i hope not, because i rofl’d too.
The French and UN are now “accidentally” doing it to all heavy weapons, after they hit UN Peacekeepers by “accident”.