France goes to war for chocolate and stability
In the Ivory Coast, France is learning the hard way that it's not easy to win the "hearts and minds" of a population. You could be tempted to believe that when the formerly peaceful French colony had been ravaged by a vicious civil war, and France had spearheaded a UN force to put an end to the worst fighting, that the population at large would be thankful.
However, the French forces have been working under the usual United Nations rules of engagement that can be summarised as "stand back, count the bodies and send a report to Kofi Annan." They have set up a buffer zone between the government and rebel forces, and to varying degrees of success trying to disuade the worst bloodshed.
Yesterday that ended. The government forces had a few warplanes, and has used this advantage to bomb rebel positions. Then they hit peacekeeper positions, probably by mistake, killing nine French soldiers as well as a US citizen. Jacques Chirac immediately ordered the French air force to destroy the government planes. The two Russian-made Sukhoi warplanes that had conducted the raid were destroyed, supposedly on the airfield, along with five helicopter gunships.
This caused angry pro-government mobs with machetes in Abidjan to start looting and burning everything remotely French, except obviously the soldiers who could shoot back. The government accused France of trying to "destabilise" the country, which on the face of it is about as laughable as it can get.
 France promptly took the issue to the Security Council where it secured full support, including the mandate to use "all necessary means," diplomatese for violence. The UN SC also called on Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo to restore order.
France is reinforcing its troops in Ivory Coast, and the latest is some very conciliatory tones from the government, whining about the sudden loss of its air force and loud yells about this being a perfect time for an urgent ceasefire. I wonder if they're in the market for some rocket-propelled grenade launchers?
Let's hear it from the talking heads about a quagmire and no exit plan. Nah, I don't think so either.
PS: Expect the French "intelligensia" to start protesting "no blood for chocolate." Well, not really.
8:40:17 PM 
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