There is no civil war in Cote d'Ivoire. Even though a failed coup attempt in 2002 led to five years of violent clashes, the dispatch of 11,000 peacekeepers to the country, and the deaths of thousands of people, the conflict in Cote d'Ivoire has taken place in a grey area between peace and war. What keeps this perpetually tense, dismal, and destructive situation simmering? In this groundbreaking book, Mike McGovern suggests the answer lies in understanding war as a process, not a series of events, and that rather than focus on the role of political institutions, we should be paying attention to the flawed and unpredictable people within them. McGovern argues that only deep knowledge of a region - its history, languages, literature, and popular culture - can yield meaningful insights into political decision making. Putting this theory into action, he examines an array of issues from the micro to the macro, including land tenure disputes, youth boredom, organized crime at the national and local levels, and the international cocoa trade.
Drawn from McGovern's experience working for a conflict resolution think tank and the political access that position gave him, "Making War in Cote d'Ivoire" will be the definitive work on the Ivorian conflict and an innovative example of how anthropology can address the complexities of politics.