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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Ivory Coast
Index
In the 1980s, the Ivoirian armed forces had a dual
mission: to
defend the nation from attack and internal subversion and
to
participate in the socioeconomic development of the
country. They
had no overt political role, although it was understood
that they
were to support the regime. To avoid diverting resources
from
national economic development, Houphouët-Boigny kept the
armed
forces relatively small and lightly armed. Compensating
for the
limited capacity of the armed forces was a strategic
doctrine that
relied on external military support from France. The
government
consciously sought to avoid conflicts or arms races with
its
neighbors and eschewed pan-African defense missions.
Data as of November 1988
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