ABSTRACT
Benin is a francophone country on the west coast of Africa that by any measurement is small: Approximately 5 million people inhabit a territory roughly the size of Pennsylvania. This chapter argues that Benin's foreign policy has undergone a subtle change from a dependent relationship on France to a complex foreign policy that emphasizes the peaceful resolution of regional problems. This shift suggests a recognition of the deleterious impact regional instability has on every economy. As long as the neighboring Nigerian market provided considerable profits, merchants would find a way to engage in the clandestine cross-border trade. Indeed, trade relations were built upon extremely complex historical, cultural, and political links. In March 1996, a rehabilitated Mathieu Kerekou defeated Nicephore Soglo to again become the president of Benin. Kerekou effectively assembled a coalition government to defeat Soglo.
