Zimbabwe's grim future casts doubt on Africa - investors flee

Milwaukee Sentinel ^ | March 26, 2002 | uncredited

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Having conducted a terror campaign against his political opponents, beggared his country's economy, corrupted its courts, intimidated its press, alienated its entrepreneurs, widened its racial divide, presided over the armed robbery of thousands of farms and then rigged an election to assure his victory, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe paid a small price last week: Zimbabwe was suspended for a year from the Commonwealth - a group of 54 nations, most of them former British colonies.

But it is not the British Commonwealth, or any other international organization led by Westerners, that is apt to deter Mugabe from his increasingly autocratic and destructive course and bring democracy and prosperity to Zimbabwe. What must sway Mugabe, if he is to be moved at all, is collective action by responsible African leaders.

The stakes go beyond Zimbabwe. International financier George Soros has pointed out that the phony elections in Zimbabwe cast doubt on the ability of African countries generally "to create suitable preconditions for private investment." The economic, political, legal and social degeneration of Zimbabwe, in short, is frightening off the kind of foreign investment that is needed for the entire region's economic development and political stability.

There is, mercifully, some small sign that critical African leaders are awakening to the danger. Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and South African President Thabo Mbeki stood at the side of Australian President John Howard, who announced Zimbabwe's suspension from the Commonwealth.

Thus far, however, Obasanjo, Mbeki and other African leaders have been squeamish about criticizing Mugabe harshly or in public, no doubt because they respect his role as a father of the liberation movement in southern Africa.

But their silence is risking the collapse of all that movement has achieved in Zimbabwe. Investors have fled the nation, and the International Monetary Fund has suspended loans, citing growing corruption in the use of state funds. Zimbabwe's annual inflation rate tops 115%, and more than 60% of the people are unemployed.

There is every reason to believe the downward spiral will continue if Mugabe is left to his own devices. Any notion that he might change course after the election, evince signs of magnanimity and establish some sort of legitimacy and credibility were demolished last week when Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe's opposition leader, was charged with treason.

It was unity that helped liberate southern Africa and send the region down the road to freedom and independence. Leaders in southern Africa need to demonstrate the same unity of purpose to rescue Zimbabwe and the region from the threat posed by one of their wayward and increasingly destructive brothers.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

....if the West got involved, matters would only get worse for everyone.

How could it get worse?

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Jimmy should go over there, and build a whooooooooooooooooole lotta houses . Don't ya think ?

He's too busy planning his trip to Cuba to meet with Castro.

[Tuor]

We could send a 'peace keeping' force (or a 'peace making' force, I get them confused). The force will get themselves involved trying to maintain 'fairness' while serving the political interests of those who sent them. Eventually, in the name of 'fairness', they'll upset one side, or one faction will take do something nasty and set up another faction as the guilty party. Then, we'll have people there getting shot at *and* the situation will continue to deteriorate.

That's one way it could get worse. I'm sure there are others.

Tuor

[Cincinatus' Wife]

What do you think about Gadaafi's involvement and the training of Muslim terrorist squads? Post #18.

[technochick99]

This is like watching a country on auto-destruct...

[happygrl]

Well Jimmie's at work kowtowing to this hemispheres' Marxist, Fidel Castro. You'd think he would take a look across the water and see how savvy he's been with respect to Third World countries.

[RightOnline]

"What needs to be done is that the citizens of Zimbabwe need to be educated and encouraged to overthrow this guy on their own. It is an *internal* matter; but, like most globalists, the author wants other countries to involve themselves in someone else's business."

Black Zimbabwe citizens overthrowing Mugabe? Will never happen.

In that s**thole of a continent, they seem to revel in such misery. They got exactly what they asked for. Every white in the country should hightail it outta there.

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

What must sway Mugabe, if he is to be moved at all, is collective action by responsible African leaders.

Nonsense. You don't look to leaders for freedom. Freedom comes from the ethics where an individual has a passion for self-interest and stands up for his rights by killing the Tyrant. There is no such ethic in Africa. It is a land where communal life is the norm. For that they are eternally damned.

[nopardons]

"Communal life is the norm " ? What historical proof of that, do you have ? I'll tell you, since you evidently do NOT know ... there is NONE !

[Billy_bob_bob]

Let's hope he stays in Cuba for the rest of his days, and that he is one day buried there. It would be so very fitting.

[FreePaul]

...if he is to be moved at all, is collective action by responsible African leaders.

And where, in Africa, will you find a "responsible" leader?

[Tuor]

It is pretty disturbing. The whites, if they have any sense, should start thinking about getting out of there (if they have anywhere to go). The only alternative is to fight. If they do nothing, then these 'death squads' are only going to be emboldened and will keep getting stronger and more numerous.

There is no easy solution to what is going on down there. The UN can wring their hands all they want, but it wont stop what is happening. If they send 'peace keepers', they'll just wind up caught up in the mess as well. As I said before, we should send material help, but not troops.

Tuor