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(Source: Cecom - Publié le: 24/4/2006)

Part One:
The history of failure in war can be summed up in two words: too late. Too late in comprehending the deadly purpose of a potential enemy; too late in realizing the mortal danger; too late in preparedness; too late in uniting all the possible forces for resistance; too late in standing with one’s friends.
General Douglas MacArthur

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Ten years ago, the ladders toward achieving lasting PEACE and sustained DEVELOPMENT in Cote d’Ivoire (AKA Ivory Coast) were of very few steps high. Ameliorating the living standard of the people, strengthening the pillars of peace and development in Cote d’Ivoire, and sustaining thereby peace and development in the West African region and in Africa as a whole, were foreseeable in the short-term.

The birth of the African Union (AU) organization further reinforced the hope and ambition to see a strong Africa on account of its social, economic and political aggregates, as Africa migrates slowly but surely toward federalization.

Unfortunately, today those ladders have been severely stretched by the man-made calamities Cote d’Ivoire has experienced: authoritarism, mismanagement of the national resources, political exclusions, xenophobia, mass murder with genocidal contours, and war.

Today still, symptoms of chaos and ruptures flash in the way, as the displaced population has yet to return to their homes and resume their former roles of production factors and consumers who have usually sustained the agricultural economy of Cote d’Ivoire. Mutual trust amongst the elite and amongst the different ethnic groups is still at low breath after all these years of induced hate and atrocities.

In spite of the increased difficulties, those stretched ladders toward peace and development can and must be courageously climbed. Cote d’Ivoire must climb them to avoid failure and, subsequently, prolonged chaos in the land. The former “success story” of the nation obliges the current political elite to commit to the effort. The people of Cote d’Ivoire expect security, peace and prosperity from their leaders. The International community awaits positive results after all these years of babysitting the country. The third millennium history of the nation will evolve around what the inhabitants do with those ladders.

- Are we going to stretch them even more and thereby deepen the national failure?
- Or are we willing to thankfully ascend them?
- How fast?

As we commit to diligently climbing the ladders before our nation- I strongly believe that it is the right choice to make, we must avoid doing so “too late”. We must act swiftly on those things-the precautious measures-the lack of which, according to General MacArthur, brings about failure:
1) Comprehend the deadly purpose of a potential enemy;
2) Realize the mortal danger, and prepare oneself against it;
3) Unite all possible forces for resistance;
4) Assure friends intervene on time;

Rather than stalling behind the current calamities, Cote d’Ivoire must rise up and raise its steps upon the ladders; incorporating the above 4 precautions to avoid failure. But it takes leadership, vision and skills to breakthrough.

1) Comprehend the deadly purpose of a potential enemy;
It requires thorough analysis of the environment to determine what it is in the land or in our system that may create enemies so defiant to attempt to the interests and lives of the nation. Inquire whether it is the natural resources, the geo-location of the country or just the behavior of the national authorities and/or the population, which is causing the trouble. Then we must see if there is anything that can be done to diffuse the enemy’s rage without substantially alienating our own core existence as a nation. In the eventuality we make changes and adjustments to satisfy the anger of the enemy, we still must assure our readiness against any surprises-the mortal danger.

2) Realize the mortal danger, and prepare oneself against it;
This encompasses monitoring the humor and the capacity of the potential enemy, tracking his level of preparedness and his eagerness to attack. If our assessment concludes the enemy is too engaged to relinquish, then we must establish safeguards, as well as mobilize adequate forces to resist the looming attack. Such preparedness requires gathering supplies, techniques, information and intelligence from the enemy’s camp, establishing back up plans. Then we must organize all the forces for the resistance.

3) Unite all possible forces for resistance;
Here, not only the people, but also the system must be value mapped. The economic structure, the public opinion, the military power and the diplomatic genius, all must be streamlined to assure resistance to the enemy’s rage. Here too, beyond the national will and capacity, the outside friendships become lifeline assets.

4) Assure friends intervene on time;
If our cause is legitimate and our vision is clear, if the horizon of the resistance is set and our level of preparedness and capacity is measured, then those friendships and alliances we have developed over times-and not one contracted in a “va-vite” manner-will embrace our cause and take a stand on our behalf, by providing in areas of our weakness and needs; be it by putting the boots on the battle ground or by advocating on our behalf.

The stage having been set as to how to avoid failure, it is now time to choose the leading actors and the governing system to assure victory.

After a decade of mismanagement and missteps, which eventually led to a dreadful military junta’s ruling and a nightmarish, xenophobic regime that brought the nation under war, Cote d’Ivoire-thanks to the International Community’s steadfast babysitting and forceful resolutions- is once again hopeful for a new beginning. It so happens that the current political transition comes at springtime, a moment when nature itself is experiencing an exotic metamorphosis-the renaissance; a season of regenerations, sweet smells and great expectations.

At the outset of this crossroads, the new Cote d’Ivoire must bring forth a leader up to the task, a voice of consensus and a winning system to shape its destiny.

Could this leader be Dr. Alassane Dramane OUATTARA (ADO), a former Prime Minister of Cote d’Ivoire, a former Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the current President of the Rally of Republicans (RDR) party of Cote d’Ivoire?

Could the voice be that of the coalition of the Houphouetist political parties-including three of the four major parties of Cote d’Ivoire?

Could the system be the Centrism, an ideology rooted in the RULE OF LAW, and expressed in OPEN DOOR POLICIES, and guarded by GOOD GOVERNANCE and an ACCOUNTABLE, civil society?

I shall comment on these questions in PART II of this paper.

Meanwhile, I conclude this first part with paraphrases of the late President Richard M. Nixon of the United States: this paper is a ‘cri de Cœur’ addressed not only to our political leaders by to leaders in all walks of life, to take heed before it is too late again and to marshall Cote d’Ivoire’s strengths so as to ensure its survival, its reconstruction and its PEACE and DEVELOPMENT.

Peace and development in the West African region, and in Africa as a whole, depend on it.

Kehi Edouard Djouha
Secretary General of RDR
Washington, DC-USA
Email:rdrdc@aol.com