Coup in Gabon: Is governance in Francophone Africa falling like dominoes?

News Snapshot:

The coup in Gabon is accentuating problems in Africa. From a distance, it appears as if a set of dominoes is falling. While there have been unconstitutional changes of government in several Central and West African countries recently, the situations often differ though the root causes are perhaps similar. Gabon had much going for it. It was France’s best friend in Africa. It has a large Chinese investment. It is a member of the UN Security Council. It is the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Central African States (ECCAS). It has peaceful borders with Cameroon, Congo and Equatorial Guinea....