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Article: Mauritania's coup is a setback for democracy.(Column)
- Article from:
- National Catholic Reporter
- Article date:
- October 3, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 National Catholic Reporter. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The overthrow in August of what arguably constituted the most democratic government in the Arab world marks a serious setback in Africa as well as the Middle East.
There had been great expectations for Mauritania when the country had its first free elections in 2006. As one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world and, as with many other African countries, its boundaries and nationhood largely an artificial creation of European colonial powers, Mauritania fanned hopes that if democracy could take hold there, it could triumph anywhere.
Mauritania's elected government under President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi proved a disappointment in ...