South Africa Bully Phobia Yields No Stance on Ivory Coast

As Ivory Coast teeters on the brink of civil war, South Africa is defying international opinion by refusing to take sides in a dispute over the outcome of a democratic vote.

While the United Nations, African Union and U.S. recognize Alassane Ouattara as the winner of the Nov. 28 election, South Africa said the result was “inconclusive” and stepped back from condemning incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo, who is spurning calls for him to cede power.