Zimbabwe going to pot under Mugabe

Life expectancy of 37, inflation at 100,000%, hundreds of thousands made homeless and jobless and starved by their own government.

Why have Western and African leaders apparently done nothing for so long about the situation in Zimbabwe? Are they just so used to African dictators who abuse their people while living in the lap of luxury that they've come to accept them, and therefore refuse to act when they see a dictator destroying a whole country and its people? Or is it because the people who are suffering are predominantly black? Apart from the current election coverage, the media noise about Zimbabwe seems to have died down in the years since Robert Mugabe introduced his farm confiscation policy and the suffering faces were white.

It's been almost 6 years since Jack Straw said this:

It must have been wishful thinking because there doesn't seem to be much evidence that Zimbabwe is a pariah nation. Refusing to shake hands with Robert Mugabe seems to be about as far as they'll go.

I think the poinient question is why have Zimbabwe's neighbours not done a thing. Democracies like South Africa and Mozambique should hang their heads in shame. Mozambique, especially, since that country was all to hasty in applying sanctions to Rhodesia to bring down the governement but now that the ogre in charge is black, they do nothing and sit back and watch a whole country fall to ruins at the hands of one madman.

But they don't as it's 'all a western plot'.

Given the UK's history in the region us doing anything is only fueling the Mugabe propoganda machine.

As Owain says, it's the nations in the neighbourhood who could do something but have their own agendas.

@Lorelei: what have leaders of other countries got to do with problems in Zim? They are powerless there. The only people who can change things are the Zimbos themselves, and astonishingly enough, it looks like they might be in the process of doing just that.

maybe adrian_t but then again I'd bet that the boots and truncheons will be out soon enough "restoring law and order" with some good old fashioned skull crunching.

@Pas, OG: I don't think it would help one bit if other govts in the region denounced Mugabe. Several African leaders have done just that, but Mugabe just doesn't care. All South Africa can do is take in the refugees and wait for the old man to die (or get voted/forced out - hold thumbs).

The people yielding "boots and truncheons" are people too - they won't play along indefinitely.

er, the UK did try but the international community failed to back them and that led Mugabe to portray the UK as an ex-Colonoial power seeking to undermine the government. The Uk did persuade the Commonwealth of nations to suspend Zimbabwe in 2002 over the apalling land grab and redistribution of farmland and Nigeria and South Africa have also tried to play a role in persuading Mugabe to stand aside (unsuccessfully).

Don't hold your breath.

Jamie, I'm certainly holding it today - this could be a very big day for Zim.

I hope so but I doubt that Mugabe is going to go quietly. But hey, stranger things can happen I suppose.

It would be a fantastic day.

What do you want other countries to do if Mugabe cheats his way through the elections? Invade? It didn't work in Sudan.

Iraq is a good example of better to NOT interfere sometimes. It's like a cruel to be kind thing. They reckon that Western food aid has possibly prolonged the unacceptable Zimbabwe situation and allowed the government to stay in power too long. We can see the Western invasion of a country can only ever be short-term so whatever we do, ultimately we will need to back out, and then leave things to the local people to sort out.

So it's shitty, but we should just let them sort it out themselves.

The Americans are busy right now restoring democracy to the eternally grateful people of Iraq, I am sure that Zimbabwe is next on the list

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