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Rockets' Red Glare |
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Guillaume Soro is a man to watch.
The youthful Prime Minister of Ivory Coast represents hope for many of his countrymen who are eager to see the country return to its once peaceful and prosperous status after years of turbulence. The former student leader turned rebel commander turned political messiah has a reputation for being a tough negotiator and a skilled politician.
Yesterday, Soro survived a rocket attack by unknown assailants on the airplane he was traveling in. Though the attack has made many Ivorians nervous, Mr. Soro's spokesmen say he is unharmed. And while the assassination attempt may increase tensions in the country, it may also boost Soro's reputation as a larger-than-life politician.
The Seminal wishes Mr. Soro a safe return to his work.
The line between politician, terrorist, and militant is thin indeed. However, it seems Soro is making a lot of progress, and certainly Africa needs more shrewd and ego-less politicians.
Soro is a complicated guy; undoubtedly he's done some things in his past that are questionable - how could one be a rebel leader and have that not be the case? What I find fascinating about him, in part, is that it seems being a student leader was instrumental in his rise to power. We don't think of student groups as being so important in the US. Though actually I read the other day that Karl Rove was head of the national College Republicans in the 1970s.
Student groups here have lost a lot of their power, but in the 60's and 70's they were the center of it all. I just hope that Soro in Africa retains an understanding of the people. I'm not too concerned about his past, but too many strongmen in Africa have turned from liberator into dictator.
I don't know what Soro's prospects are for becoming top dog in Ivory Coast. They may be pretty good - the president, Gbagbo, is often depicted as being weak and out of touch. With that said, the dictator fear is entirely reasonable. It's funny how pervasive - and realistic - that fear is even in countries like Senegal, where a lot of people feel that President Wade is attempting to consolidate his power too much, and even to pass it on to his son after his death.
I'm glad that you find that fear pervasive. Certainly, many of Africa's problems were caused by colonialism, but many subsequent dictators have made things a lot worse.