Let us always remain vigilent.... A depressing article from the NY Times. It details the reasons behind the debacle that is now Ivory Coast. I a few words: demography is destiny. For many decades, Ivory Coast was a shining jewel along the west African coast. It was captalistic, stable, and relatively free in comparison to its neighbor, socialist Ghana. The shoe seems on the other foot now, as Ivory Coast is being torn apart by ethnic conflict. An excerpt:

The conflict that has gripped this country for almost two weeks has its source in xenophobic policies unleashed nine years ago by the death of Félix Houphouët-Boigny. He was the autocrat who made Ivory Coast into one of Africa's most stable countries, keeping close links with France and emphasizing ethnic harmony in a region with sharp divisions. When he went, so did his vision. In the decade since, the three men who have led Ivory Coast have differed greatly, except on one front: all three have used ethnic and religious differences to gain and keep power, at the expense of national stability.