Members of Ivory Coast's Young Patriots youth movement take part in a demonstration to show support for incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo near the U.S. embassy in Abidjan January 25, 2011. (Thierry Go…

Several successive years of being one of the world’s fastest-growing economies have made Côte d'Ivoire a darling of investors bullish about Africa. But the country’s strong economic performance has not been matched by political progress in overcoming the divides that drove the country into civil war twice in the last twenty years. With elections scheduled for 2020, many of the same antagonists that featured in those earlier conflicts are jockeying for position, giving observers and citizens an unwelcome sense of déjà vu.

Soldiers loyal to Laurent Gbagbo patrol a street in Abidjan March 31, 2011. (Luc Gnago/Courtesy Reuters) I promised yesterday a post on Nigerian violence, but that has been preempted by developments…

Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post covers December 7 to December 11.

A boy carrying his belongings passes a U.N. armoured vehicle as residents flee with their belongings after clashes between forces loyal to incumbent Laurent Gbagbo and his rival Alassane Ouattara in …