Zimbabwe

You probably don't know this about me, but every year or two I develop an interest in some far off country or region and try to become something of an amateur expert on the area. The most recent example was Hungary (thanks to this book), but a few years ago it was Zimbabwe. These days, of course, Zimbabwe is in the news for all the wrong reasons, but several years ago it showed promise. Now it's a disaster.

Though Zimbabwe hasn't received as much attention (in terms of media stories and a general sense of buzz) as Darfur, much of the West has been making a lot of noise about Pres. Mugabe's latest round of abuses. Strangely silent, though, has been the rest of southern Africa. South Africa (the country), the acknowledged leader of the region has claimed there's nothing it can do. Instead of pressuring Mugabe, a special summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) just urged the West to drop sanctions against Mugabe's government! I can only assume a misguided sense of group identity prevents other south African leaders from speaking out against Mugabe. The man is killing the nation. Literally. Average life expectancy in 1990 was almost 60; now it's in the mid-30s. Hence, I was relieved when I saw this column in today's Washington Post. Desmond Tutu and Madeleine Albright taking a stand against Mugabe! No one carries more weight in the region than Tutu. Now maybe something will get done.

First, Tutu and Albright list some recent examples of Mugabe's thugishness:

Zimbabwe, long plagued by the repressive leadership of President Robert Mugabe, has reached the point of crisis. Leaders of the democratic opposition were arrested and beaten, and one was killed, while attempting to hold a peaceful prayer meeting on March 11. Morgan Tsvangirai, head of the Movement for Democratic Change, emerged from detention with a swollen eye and a fractured skull. Several days later, Nelson Chamisa, the movement's spokesman, was stopped en route to a meeting with European officials and beaten with iron bars. Other activists have been prevented from leaving the country to seek medical treatment for wounds inflicted by police.

Okay that's a pretty bleak picture. What do these esteemed persons suggest as a solution to the Zimbabwe crisis?

We are suggesting that global and regional organizations and individual governments should make known their support for human rights and democratic practices in that country, as elsewhere.
[...]
As in South Africa, the solution to the economic, political and social quagmire in Zimbabwe is open dialogue -- perhaps facilitated by the SADC -- that includes all relevant parties and leads to an understanding based on support for democracy and respect for the legitimate rights of all.

So let me get this straight. Mugabe is brazenly kidnapping, beating, and even killing political opponents; his country has the world's highest inflation rate and lowest life expectancy (per Public Health News); and there seems to be no internal hope for change. What's the solution? Evidently it's an open dialogue leading to an understanding based on support for democracy and rights. I'm sure Mugabe is quaking in his boots.

So how worried is old Bob about this call for dialogue? Well according to Reuters Mugabe proclaimed "excellent meeting" as he left the SADC summit. Remember that's the summit where they called for the West to end sanctions. Yeah, I expect he'll be abdicating any day now. It truly is a sad, sad situation, but I don't honestly think there's anything the U.S. can do to help Zimbabwe right now. We have no international intervention credibility left. Until the other African leaders stand up to him, I don't see any hope. Given the SADC summit, though, it doesn't look like that'll happen anytime soon.

Sigh.