Zimbabwe 2008

The news from Zimbabwe is as depressing is as it is predictable. Mugabe finds a way to fix the election, beat up anyone who doesnt like him and the world does nothing. A clear majority of his own people don't want him to lead, but as always, he does whatever is best for him not matter the cost. Quite simply, Mugabe is terrified of being justifiably indicted for all the nasty tihngs he has done and ending up where he belongs, in a prison cell. In fact all the better if someone had jsut put a bullet through his head several years ago.
Take George Bush for example. Supposedly he doesnt like dictadors. He's all in favour of democracies and people having free elections, right? So why the silence on Zimbabwe?
But the South African leadership manages to do worse than nothing. President Mbeki is complicit in Mugabe continuing to inflict his misery and brute force on Zimbabwe's people. To Thabo Mbeki there is 'no crisis'. Not for the first time (think AIDS sufferers) Mbeki clearly has a moral crisis of his own if he can just casually shrug off Zimbabwe's misery. He has the blood of Zimbabwe's beaten and oppressed on his own hands for his shamelful and quite deliberate inaction and tacit support for what might now be described as the world's nastiest regime. Maybe Mbeki should so and spend a day inside Zimbabwe with people who have resorting to beggin or prostitution just to feed their families. If Mr Mbeki had an iota of honour or courage or sense, he could have squeezed Mr Mugabe out of power several years ago.
And what about the deafening silences from all the other African leaders who like to utter glib mantras about how Africa can now sort out its own problems? Timid. How can we hope to take them seriously?
The sad truth is that many of Africa's problems derive form bad corrupt government. Why should Western citizens feel obliged to send more money to an continent whose leaders refuse to do anytihng to remove a man who has ruined and pillaged his own country and his own people?

Take China. What do they do? How are they helping Zimbabwe's people? By senbding a super-tanker full of weapons and ammunitions for Mugabe to continue, or even intensify, his torture. Never mind the fact that a country that is starving probably should not be spending what diminishing resources it still has on something so wasteful and unnecessarily destructive.
SO much for all those who like to talk up the UN and its mythical ability to resolve international conflicts. They jsut incvite Zimbabwe to chair on their cosy Human Rights Council. You honestly could not make it up could you?
And Europe and the EU. They dont see anything wrong or immoral (we're talking about career politicians here) in invting Mugabe to Europe. Maybe, like Mbeki, they don't think there is a 'crisis' in Zimbabwe.
SO what is likely to happen next? On the outside, not a lot, certainly not a crisis worthy of anyone with any international power getting off their backsides to do anything about. But on the inside in Zimbabwe the depression and misery dont look like ending any time soon. In fact, things might well get worse because all those who dared to express their dislike of Mugabe by voting against him. They will be the ones who are silently punished.