Nigeria & Niger: Not the same country!

So by now you've all heard of the coup that took place in Niger. Thankfully, it's turning out to be a little more interesting than the recent one in Honduras which was pretty much a bore-fest the whole way through. To be fair, I really enjoyed when the former leader Zelaya traveled by tractor and car-trunk to reach the Brazilian embassy, where he hid out for a while. That whole episode inspired me to write a political-thriller involving a forbidden love triangle between a Brazilian intern, Zelaya, and the guy who took Z's job, Porfirio Lobo Sosa. (I have yet to write said story so feel free to use my obviously really good and original idea).

The reason I'm loving this particular coup is because it's giving everyone that squishy awkward feeling that you can only get when a democratically-elected-leader-turned-bad is ousted by the military in a definitely-not-democratic fashion. Your immediate verbal diarrhea response is: "Um hello? President Mamadou Tandja? The guy who was elected in 1999 and after ten years tried to stay in power by scrapping the constitution and creating a new one with no term limits?" So then you feel weird because you just defended a coup. And now everyone is looking at you like you support socialism or communism (just kidding! Obviously those are the same thing).

Apparently this little um, "political takeover" is being welcomed by the people of Niger although I'm not there, so I can't really say. But Robert Tate who is a spokesman for the American Embassy in Niamey (capital of Niger- don't worry, neither I nor anyone I asked knew that) assured us that "There was a festive, celebratory mood". Which makes me wonder if Rob Tate is taking part in said party. And are there Cake and party-hats? Noise makers!? If so-IM IN.

The junta has pinky-sworn that this whole she-bang will eventually lead to a civilian run government, but this exact thing has happened in Niger a couple of times already so I'm not gonna bet my life-savings on it being long term, yet. However, they might want to get a move on as the AU has already suspended the country and the EU, UN, and US (along with a bunch of other acronyms) are getting testy.

And now for the silver lining on this whole awkward mess- minus the booting of a budding tyrant (do you LOVE that sentence?). Apparently some traders heard rumors of gunfire and an attempted coup and wanting to you know, get in on the good times (and also make a boat-load of money) they scrambled to buy oil from the African country of...Nigeria. Whoops!

It would have been even more amusing had they looked at a map and attempted to buy oil from the "correct" nation, as Niger doesn't actually produce oil. Anyone else imagining some guy in a suit frantically typing into a computer screaming "But WHERE are the Niger-oil-stocks!? WHERE?!" *

* Apologies if this entire situation is ludicrous and based in no reality whatsoever. My entire knowledge of what stockbrokers do is based on movies set in the 80's.