On November 28, 2010, the West African nation Côte d’Ivoire (known to English speakers as the Ivory Coast) seemed to take a step forward when a presidential election, that should have occurred in 2005, finally took place. However, things turned sour quickly as Gbagbo’s rival, former prime minister Alassane Ouattara, won the election.

United Nations Operations in Côte d’Ivoire summarized the situation: “Côte d’Ivoire has been plunged into turmoil following incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to concede defeat after losing the 28 November second round of election to his opponent, former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara” (www.un.org).

In essence, the outcome of this feud is inevitably approaching civil war, because “residents […] voted in large numbers for opposition leader Alassane Ouattara” (www.mysanantonio.com).  Mr. Gbagbo’s refusal to concede led Outtara’s supporters  to open a movement against Gbagbo.

The current situation has escalated into a veritable civil war, as pro-Gbagbo and pro-Ouattara factions have waged war in economic centers, such as Abidjan and Tiebissou. Over 20 people have died so far (www.news.bbc.com).

Ironically, this situation is an eerie reoccurrence of the 2000 elections, when Ouattara was banned from the elections by Gbagbo (who himself ascended to power through a coup). In short, this recent incident symbolizes the issues with African politics.

Junior Arjun Sharma agreed, saying, “African leaders must uphold democratic values and not become dictators.”

Numerous solutions (both domestically and multilaterally) have been created to solve the crisis at hand. The Economic Community of West African States and the UN have both taken action on the issue.

Regarding the decision as to whether or not America should join the tussle, junior Alex Lamar said, “I think that [America] shouldn’t do anything about it or try to play as world police.”

Ultimately, sophomore Constantijn van der Poel provided his advice for Gbagbo: “Gbagbo should just step down and abdicate his power because if he doesn’t take the easy route, somebody will permanently force him out.”