Contenu du sommaire : Côte d'Ivoire, la tentation ethnonationaliste

The Ivoirian Army: No to Downgrading
The December 1999 putsch surprised most observers, who had underestimated the extent of pent-up frustrations among Ivoirian troops over the past years. Having been pampered by Houphouet-Boigny, the military was marginalized under Bedié's regime. This article offers a first-time analysis of the mutinies and the officers now in power. By examining their solidarities and internal divisions, the author explains the emergence of tensions and underlines the risks for the perpetuation of military power.

The Ivory Coast between Democracy, Nationalism, and Ethno-nationalism
The overthrown of the Bedié regime by the military has not done away with the problem of “ivoirité”, or the struggle over Ivoirian national identity, which is rooted in processes of the historical long-term. The bitter nature of debates over the constitution is indicative of the difficulties involved in agreeing over the definition of citizenship. This article suggests that these controversies are doubtless part of a “democratic” debate over the question, “who constitutes ‘the people'.” But it also highlights the risks of ethno-nationalist movements that are anchored in and foment serious dissensions between the North and the South.

The Land Tenure Question and National Construction in the Ivory Coast
In the context of political mobilization around ivoirité and the inauguration of a new, nationalist land tenure code, rural zones have recently been marked by increasingly violent conflicts that exploit relations between “autochtones” and “allochtones.” This article shows how these tensions are inscribed in the history of agrarian colonization; they can be explained by the erosion of compromises between the “peasant state” and the crisis in “frontier institutions.”

Social Inequalities and Political Regulation in the Ivory Coast
In the Ivory Coast, the fiscal base for social welfare is shrinking while, at the same time, the state is loosing its ability to implement macro-economic regulation and low-cost social programs. Through increased interventions, the World Bank has instigated new regulatory logics in the context of the collapse of the welfare state and the absence of any form of civil society capable of carrying on the struggle to reduce social inequalities.

The Reinvention of Politics in the Ivory Coast and the Responsibility of Multilateral Donors
This article examines the delicate period of transition in the Ivory Coast through analysis of the role of international donors and aid conditionalities. The author concludes that there is a risk that former modes of political and economic regulation will resurface and that the pluralist, liberal model, based on the ideal of participation and integration, will gradually be replaced by an authoritarian model whose technocratic logics confirm strategies of division and exclusion.

The Baobab has been Uprooted: Political Change in Senegal
Most observers of political life in Senegal feared that the presidential elections of March 2000 would give rise to an explosion of violence or even a coup d'état. However, the elections brought about peaceful political change of historic proportions, putting an end to forty years of domination by the Parti Socialist. This article explores the reasons for Abdou Diouf's defeat as well as the challenges that now face President Wade's new regime.

Electoral Terrorism in Zimbabwe
What initially seemed to be the spontaneous occupation of White-owned farms in the name of correcting the injustices of colonial partitioning has turned out to be a premeditated and organized political maneuver orchestrated by President Mugabe in an effort to avoid his party's defeat in the June 2000 elections. Controversy over land ownership is only a screen, being the basis for electoral tactics of terror.