Hi cptkid, No, not news. Just interest. A good geography, history, and geo-political case study.
Hi GZ, Followers of the Muslim faith account for 5 -10% of the French Roman population, whilst Catholicism accounts for 83%+. Prostestants account for 2%, the Jewish faith for 1%, and unaffiliated, for 4%.
In Ivory Coast, the proportions are Christian 20-30%, Muslim 35-40%, and indigenous 25-40% (2001).
The northern rebel forces are primarily indigenous and Muslim backed.
Hi Gaweb, I tend to agree. But it also demonstrates that the French (and each other permanent Security Council member out there) are just as bad themselves as what they accuse the USA (etc) of being.
The difference, however, is that the French have not yet been criticised for any of their own adventurism.
So whilst CNN is reporting that "...other nations -- notably Russia and France -- said Washington had not done enough to make the case for war against Iraq", France has done absolutely nothing to make out the case for justified intervention into the Ivory Coast.
Continuing with the French reaction on Iraq, CNN also reported that "France, one of the strongest EU voices against rushing into a war, particularly without U.N. backing, did say it would join Washington in presenting information on Iraq at the Security Council meeting, expected February 5.....Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said France welcomed Bush's proposal to share intelligence on Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction with the U.N. but was also wary of military action...."The responsibility of the international community is immense. It is a question of war and peace. It is a choice one must not make lightly," Villepin said.....CNN's Jim Bittermann in Paris said that French President Jacques Chirac spoke to Blair on Tuesday night and told him nothing so far that he had seen justified military action against Iraq".
This is the same Foreign Minister who, on Wednesday, stated (in respect of the Ivory Coast) that (according to CNN) "France is ready to evacuate its citizens from Ivory Coast "at any time" and face up to any security challenges posed by the unrest there, Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said on Wednesday".
Currently, France has >2500 troops in Ivory Coast, and has 16,000 French nationals. Ivory Coast (or Cote d'Ivorie) has a population of 14.8m, a tropical climate, is the world's largest producer of Cocoa, has French and Baoule as its 2 main languages.
President Gbagbo of the FPI was last elected with 51.9% of the popular vote (2.1m voted out of 5.5m registered voters), in October 2000, in an election marred by political controsversy, allegations of vote rigging, election violence, the banning of former Prime Minister, Mr Ouattara's candidature in the Presidential elections, and an inability for the northern part of the country to participate in voting.
At the time, "the OAU, the UN, South Africa and the US all supported Mr Ouattara’s cause strongly, describing the polls as fundamentally flawed and calling for a new election. Only France, perhaps influenced by ties between its ruling Socialist party and that of Mr Gbagbo, accepted his victory. The EU and the US further tightened their stance, after the Supreme Court rejected Mr Ouattara’s candidacy for the legislative election" (EIU, CP 2002/03).
In current terms (EIU, 2002), the Ivory Coast boasts an army of 6,800, together with 5,500 para-military forces, 1,100 presidential guard, and 4,400 gendarmerie. There are a further 12,000 reservists.
The current French presence is, therefore, quite substantial, when considered in these terms, and seems intent on protecting French dominated interests, including French nationals, assets, and its President.
So, when it all really boils down to the basics, the french are just as complicit in their conduct as what they are now accusing the USA of being.
