Here is an excerp from a correspondence regarding the coup in Ivory Coast.

Jabou

<< I agree with you and all the other colleagues who are enthusiastic about 
the
 change of leadership in Cote d'Ivoire.  I have watched the new President very
 closely and weighed his every word carefully.  He is to me an earnest 
humanist,
 a patriotic military philosopher-statesman who has used his "passage in the
 desert" to develop his mind and spirit and reflect on the future of his 
country.
 He means well, he knows what he wants, his time is right and if there is any 
man
 able to pull if off, he has a good chance.
 
 Nevertheless, a word of caution from a long-term observer of the military in
 government; after all, my country - Nigeria - holds the record in the region.
 Most military leaders start with public applause on taking over.  But the
 acclamations seldom last.  Firstly, military rulers are products of a system
 that requires "total obedience" and the implementation of orders "with 
immediate
 dispatch".  Operating in the political arena which requires debate, 
discussion
 and consensus runs against their acquired nature and training.  They become
 testy, impatient and hence resort to the instrument they master the most:  
force
 and coercion, and hence, dictatorship.  Secondly, economic and public sector
 management is a complex undertaking that requires time, patience and
 consultation - with internal stakeholders, with external partners and is 
subject
 to the vagaries of the international political environment.  Yet, time and
 patience are two requirements the militricians (military-politicians à la
 Nigerian) do not have at their disposal.  They are under constant pressure to
 return to democracy and "constitutional order".
 
 Thirdly, coup d'etats are usually accompanied by high expectations from the
 population.  But since take-overs usually happen during periods of economic
 down-turn, the financial means to meet the often too high expectations are
 usually not available within the time-frame the new rulers have to work.  
With
 popular needs unsatisfied and expectations unmet, dissilution sets in, the
 population forget yesterday's pains and the clamor for yet another change
 resurges.
 
 Finally, power is sweet.  As a wise man once said:  "power corrupts, and
 absolute power corrupts absolutely".   Military rulership is invariably
 absolute.  The general might be the most honest and disciplined man in the
 world, but few human spirits are able to resist the temptations of  power - 
its
 perquisites, the horde of sycophants and hangers-on whispering in his ears 
that
 he is the "savior", the "messiah" the country has been waiting for.  He is 
then
 likely to look at the presidential candidates - especially where they had 
once
 served in the military under "his command" - and feel he could definitely do
 better.  Then the hedging on time-tables for elections start.  What's more, 
in
 an atmosphere like here in Cote d'Ivoire, the temptation is high that one of 
the
 political parties will start encouraging him to either perpetuate his stay as
 military ruler (if only to deny the hated opponent from having a chance) or
 contest as "their" presidential candidate.  And then again, we are back to
 square one.
 
 I do not want to spoil the party.  I repeat that Cote d'Ivoire is two-fold
 lucky:  (a) to have a new chance to rebuild its
 crumbling socio-political house; and (b) to have a strong, self-confident and
 humane personality like General Guei leading the process.  But you have to be
 careful, no, watchful is a better word.  Watch out that the "oaths of
 allegience" currently being pledged by all the political parties, NGOs and 
other
 members of the civil society are not taken as licence to do whatever the 
regime
 deems right.  Trust is good, control is better.  The Ivorian intelligentsia 
must
 observe closely every move they make,  be ready with warning posts.
 
 As for the international community, history has taught us that "principled"
 hypocrisy and self-interest are classic instruments in global economic and
 political relations.  I am sure Ivorians will not have to go back to
 "cassava-leaves".  You will still have them, as the delicacies they are, as 
well
 as the other foreign goodies you have developed the taste for.  You just 
have to
 know how to play the game.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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