TY - JOUR

T1 - The Gendarme Stays in Africa

T2 - France's Military Role in Côte d'Ivoire

AU - Wyss, Marco

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - This article examines France's current African security strategy against the background of its historical and recent military role on the African continent, and in light of the French intervention during the postelectoral crisis in Côte d'Ivoire. It demonstrates that President Nicolas Sarkozy reinforced France's position in Côte d'Ivoire by applying a hybrid strategy, which combines both multilateral and unilateral approaches, and thereby provides Paris with both international legitimacy and room for maneuver. Sarkozy inherited this hybrid African strategy from his predecessors, who tried to adapt to changing circumstances from the early 1990s on. In light of this continuity, it seems likely that even with the change of the French government, Paris will not fundamentally alter this course.

AB - This article examines France's current African security strategy against the background of its historical and recent military role on the African continent, and in light of the French intervention during the postelectoral crisis in Côte d'Ivoire. It demonstrates that President Nicolas Sarkozy reinforced France's position in Côte d'Ivoire by applying a hybrid strategy, which combines both multilateral and unilateral approaches, and thereby provides Paris with both international legitimacy and room for maneuver. Sarkozy inherited this hybrid African strategy from his predecessors, who tried to adapt to changing circumstances from the early 1990s on. In light of this continuity, it seems likely that even with the change of the French government, Paris will not fundamentally alter this course.

M3 - Journal article

VL - 3

SP - 81

EP - 111

JO - African Conflict and Peacebuilding Review

JF - African Conflict and Peacebuilding Review

SN - 2156-7263

IS - 1

ER -