Abstract:
There is a shift in continental attitude as exemplified in the reaction to the disputed Ivory Coast
elections.Between Laurent Gbagbo, backed by the people of the South and the military, and
Alassane Outtarra, supported by the North and the United Nations peacekeeping force, it is
Outtarra who has external recognition. The African Union, AU, recognises Outtarra, and most
importantly, wants to oust Gbagbo by force.This, in the name of good governance and democracy
in Africa, indicates an orientation shift.“Good Governance” and “Democracy” serve as moral
excuses for invading other countries.
The United States annexed Mexican territories in the name of spreading “democracy.”It frequently
invaded Latin American states either to stop what Theodore Roosevelt termed “chronic wrong
doing” or, as Woodrow Wilson put it, to teach those countries how to elect “good men.” In 2003,
George Bush and Tony Blair invaded Iraq to liberate the Iraqis from Saddam Hussein. In West
Africa, Nigeria is the dominant power in the same way that the United States dominates the
Western Hemisphere. Occasionally, it appears to be in competition for regional influence with
Ghana. In colonial days and through the personality of Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana was initially
dominant but Nigeria took the lead after independence, despite its numerous coups and upheavals.
With its oil wealth and large population, it became the colossus of West Africa and, behaving just
like the Americans, is prone to invasions because it considers the region to be its backyard. With
international encouragement, it is willing to lead the invasion to oust Gbagbo in Ivory
Coast.Nigeria, however, suffers from a serious credibility gap. Its moral capital is as depleted as
that of the United States after invading Iraq
