USA Africa Dialogue Series - 10 blunders and miscalculations of Laurent Gbagbo of ivory Coast

1. Building his political platform around a narrow, xenophobic,

ethnic- based constituency incapable of meaningful coalition building;

2. Underestimating the wide support of Alassane Ouattara - and the impact of
his electoral campaign on various regions of Cote d'Ivoire across ethnic and
religious boundaries;

3. Underestimating the shrewdness, commitment and military capability and

determination of Soros Guillaume and the New Forces;

4. Biting the hand that saved him from defeat in 2002- France;

5. Undermining his support from women by his assassination of
unarmed female protesters;

6. Transforming university students into paid thugs and indisciplined gangsters-
and giving encouragement to his wife's band of assassins and

Duvalier style 'tonton macoute';

7. Undermining regional support by xenophobic and genocidal

campaigns against West Africans from at least six countries;

8. Recklessly destroying the political capital accumulated in his

early days - when he seemed to be an anti-colonial pan Africanist;

9. Associating himself with fanatic rabble rousers such as the

so-called young patriots - who started to believe their own

genocidal and irrational, xenophobic rhetoric;

10. Utilizing the services of indisciplined mercenaries committed to

CharlesTaylor -style mayhem, rape and murder.

Dr. Gloria Emeagwali
www.africahistory.net
www.esnips.com/web/GloriaEmeagwali
________________________________________
From: Emeagwali, Gloria (History)
Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2011 11:21 PM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com; nigerianid@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Why Libya?

Ten reasons why.....

1. To divert attention from the unrest in Bahrain, Yemen and potentially Saudi Arabia - and complicate
the possibilities for military assistance to the pro-democracy forces there.Omogui's article is fantastic on this issue.

2. To facilitate access to oil in the post Gadhafi era- from the oil wells of grateful Benghazi -
given the rising demand from China and Japan and Germany, poised to abandon nuclear power.

3. To divert attention from the high unemployment, inflation and massive economic crisis in the West compounded by the
temporary demise of Japan, the major supplier of electronics parts etc for the auto and computer related industries.

4. To replenish and fuel the military industrial complex with its voracious appetite for new wars.

5. To advertise the new generation of fighter jets, tomahawk cruise missiles etc for sale. Note the clear sales pitch in
CNN and other media reporting..

6. Gadhafi's consistent hostility towards the State of Israel, the major ally of the West.

7. War -making helps to beef up the portfolio of American presidential aspirants and incumbents.
(Not necessarily the case in Sarkhozy's France?)

8. Hillary Clinton is thinking about her illusionary Bosnia war escapade and wants a real war.

9. The total idiocy, lack of foresight and inflexible stubbornness of Muammar Gadhafi and his heir apparent-
determined to stay in power at all costs.

10. The Iraq war started on March 19, 2003. Today is March 19.

Dr. Gloria Emeagwali
www.africahistory.net
www.esnips.com/web/GloriaEmeagwali

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