![U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Cote d’Ivoire President Alassane Ouattara.](https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/us-france-cote-divoire-01262024-1.jpg?w=519&h=259&crop=1)
As part of his tour through four African countries this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a point of stopping over in Cote d’Ivoire, a country with which both Washington and Paris are seeking to deepen security ties following the collapse of France’s diplomatic relations in other parts of the region.