Abstract
Foreign Policy decision-making is one of the greatest instrument at a state’s disposal to pursue its national interests. It is considered as a full political activity of states. A good Foreign Policy would obviously lead a state in fulfilling its national interests and acquiring rightful place among comity of nations. As such the study of Foreign Policy forms an important part of International Studies. The United States established diplomatic relations with Cote d’Ivoire (then called Ivory Coast) in 1960, following Cote d’Ivoire’s independence from France. This study holds the view that for political instability, African political leaders should be blamed for neglecting the discipline of history that should have guided them to enact laws and formulate policies that would play down on negative ethnic differences. In order to go into the distant past, a descriptive historical analysis method was adopted to interrogate relevant sources of information about Cote d’Ivoire.
INTRODUCTION
After the treaty of Westphalia and the end of the First and Second World War, the international system has witnessed an increasing growth in the development of nation states. The end product of this development is thus, the creation of an interaction between these nation states. In addition, the establishment of United Nations and the process of decolonization that has liberated many states into sovereign entities have further provided the impetus to interrelationships among states. Such has resulted into the formation of ‘foreign policies’. With the aim of determining and identifying the decisions, strategies, and ends of interaction of a state with another Held D, McGrew A, Goldblatt D, Perraton J (1999). Furthermore, the modern world of “globalization”; the “widening, deepening and speeding up of global interconnectedness” has increased this interrelationships or interactions among states. Hence, there is unanimity among scholars on the necessity of a “foreign policy” for each state, since no state will like to function in complete isolation. His made scholars like Feliks Gross, to say that even a decision to have no relations with a particular state is also a foreign policy. A state without a foreign policy, has been compared to a ship in the deep sea without any knowledge of directions. Нus, foreign policy leads a state in fulfilling its national interests and acquiring rightful place among comity of nations. Like small states studies, the first problem that one faces in the study of foreign policy, is the problem of definition or clear meaning of the term Gross F (1995). When used, it is either out of context or entails a different meaning. Such has led to scholars like Charles Hermann, to call foreign policy a “neglected concept” Laura N (2008). Adding that “this neglect has been one of the most serious obstacles to providing more adequate and comprehensive explanations of foreign policy.” He believed that part of the reasons for this neglect is that “most people dealing with the subject have felt confident that they knew what foreign policy was.” Нe term foreign policy has been defined in various ways by scholars; however, they are certain that it is concerned with behaviour of a state towards other states. Hermann for instance, defined foreign policy as “the discrete purposeful action that results from the political level decision of an individual or group of individuals Laura N (2008). It is the observable artifact of a political level decision. It is not the decision, but a product of the decision.” By this, it can be. A few years after independence, many African countries went through political turmoil that threatened their existence. There were sit- tight syndromes, coups and counter- coups. The continent did not only suffer political instability, but also economic recession. Africans blamed their woes on the West, particularly the former European powers that colonized the continent. Throughout the Cold War, Ivory Coast's foreign policy was generally favorable toward the West. In particular, Félix Houphouet-Boigny kept relations with France that was among the closest between any African country and a former colonial power. The country became a member of the United Nations at independence in 1960 and participates in most of its specialized agencies. It is also an associate member of the European Union. In general, President Bédié initiated and maintained relations with many countries of the European Union and Asia. Ivory Coast maintains a wide variety of diplomatic contacts. In 1960 the United States established diplomatic relations with Cote d’Ivoire (then called Ivory Coast) in 1960, following Cote d’Ivoire’s independence from France. A coup in 1999 ushered in several years of coup attempts, disputed elections, rebellions, and attempts at reunification. In 2011, a new president was formally inaugurated after a period of fighting brought on by the incumbent’s refusal to cede power following elections in 2010. In 2015, Cote d’Ivoire held very successful presidential elections and President Ouattara peacefully won reelection. President Ouattara introduced a new constitution in 2016, approved in a nationwide referendum. In 2017, Cote d’Ivoire’s agriculture export-based economy was the second fastest growing economy in Sub-Saharan Africa. Cote d’Ivoire is a country with considerable potential politically and economically. With investments by the United States and other international partners, Cote d’Ivoire can act as a bulwark against religious extremism and support U.S. efforts to promote democratic institutions, regional stability, and counter the spread of terrorism.
