force may be the only solution. the army stand united behind laurent gbagbo. years of intense national pressure to step down. the u.s., u.s., european unionafrican union, and the west african bloc have all recognized alassana quattara as the winner. meanwhile, the u.n. is taking steps to extend the mandate of peacekeeping troops in ivory coast. in recent years, ivory coast had been considered a relatively stable african country. but the fragile balance between north and south, muslim and christian, locals and economic migrants, now looks precarious. eight years ago, the balance was thrown into disarray when a part of the army rose up against the government and seized much of the north. this is the area were presidential contender alassana quattara has his support base. most followers of the incumbent laurent gbagbo live in the south of ivory coast. the hope was that the election would help heal the wounds of the civil war. but even though laurent gbagbo lost the vote, he is clinging on to power, defying the international community. economic repercussions from the conflict have already been felt in what is the world's biggest producer of c