About the Author: Victoria Holt serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs.

Flying into Abidjan, you see that Cote d’Ivoire is back in business. Streets are lit, cars are new, and the downtown has the vibrancy and neon signs of a busy capitol. Plans for development — such as a new bridge to link the city across its lagoons — are the government’s focus.

Little of this was imaginable a year ago, when the country faced a dramatic crisis of leadership — and a questionable future — after its November 2010 elections. For months, the UN peacekeepers, backed by the international community and French Licorne forces, held the line against a defiant former leader who refused to step down despite losing the Presidential elections to his rival. Yet today, with former President Gbagbo in the Hague for war crimes, President Ouattara is moving forward to put the past behind and build a united nation.

Beyond the bright lights, much work remains.… more »