WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2001-08-19 Posted By: Jan
From the News Archives of: WWW.AfricanCrisis.Org
Date & Time Posted: 8/19/2001 3:50:27 AM
How Washington should respond to instability in Zimbabwe
By Daniel J. Mitchell (December 20, 2000)
Zimbabwe”s President Robert Mugabe, a member of the Zimbabwe African
National Union-Patriotic Front, has led his country to the brink of
implosion. His policies flout democracy and the rule of law and have
ruined a once-healthy economy. Washington should urge Mugabe to resign and
withhold U.S. assistance until he does. It should also support the
democratic opposition and plan to work with organizations to supervise
elections once Mugabe leaves office to restore democracy and stability to
the troubled country. Mugabe had been a guerrilla leader whose efforts
helped end the white-minority government of the former Rhodesia in 1979.
Under his leadership since then, the country”s considerable economic
potential–including a relatively diversified economy–has been squandered
and its democratic laws openly disregarded.
Squandered Economic Potential. Compared with the rest of sub-Saharan
Africa, Zimbabwe was a wealthy nation with a history of manufacturing for
export, a thriving tourist industry, and a strong agricultural sector, but
Mugabe has all but destroyed the prosperity Zimbabwe”s citizens had
gained. The economic slide, which began in 1995, came to a critical head
this year. Unemployment is now over 50 percent. An acute fuel shortage and
an inflation rate above 60 percent have crippled domestic industries and
transportation. Prices for bread and fruit have jumped by more than a
third since October, according to The Economist.
Zimbabwe”s fiscal deficit has increased from its 1998 level of 8 percent
of gross domestic product (GDP) to an estimated 24 percent, largely
because of the government”s refusal to trim the bureaucracy and its poor
fiscal policies, which have led to 70 percent interest rates on government
debt. Finally, the government”s land redistribution program to aid poor
black Zimbabweans has been riddled with corruption and mismanagement. Most
land purchased or seized by the government for redistribution has ended up
in the hands of high-ranking government officials. Britain suspended
funding for the program in 1992, and the United States followed suit in
1998.
Disregarding Democracy and the Rule of Law. Mugabe”s greatest political
setback came on February 15, 2000, when a referendum to amend the
constitution to extend his rule and authorize the seizure of farmland from
white Zimbabwean farmers without compensation was defeated by a public
vote. Fearful that this foreshadowed difficulties for his party in the
parliamentary elections eventually set for June 24 and 25, Mugabe urged
his supporters to illegally occupy over 1,000 farms owned primarily by
white Zimbabweans and others who opposed him. His government encouraged
intimidation of and violence against anyone who supported the main
opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). In the five
months leading up to the elections, at least 31 persons were killed and
hundreds beaten.
Not surprisingly, the June parliamentary elections were neither free nor
fair. According to U.N. election monitors, supporters of opposition
parties were threatened and 10 percent to 25 percent of the votes were
fraudulent. Despite such intimidation and manipulation, the MDC won 57 of
the 120 elected seats in the parliament (20 additional seats are appointed
by the president and 10 by tribal chiefs). Following the election, Mugabe
issued an amnesty for many crimes committed in the months before the
election. Many of those who illegally occupied the farms and committed
assault, arson, and even murder against innocent civilians during that
time are to be made members of the army reserve.
Considering such policies, it is understandable that Zimbabweans are
rioting. Mugabe has responded by sending in police and troops to attack
the rioters with tear gas and clubs. The riots could lead to national
chaos, which could in turn affect Zimbabwe”s neighbors. The MDC has
introduced a motion to impeach Mugabe out of fear that his continued rule
will result in more violence.
What the U.S. Should Do. The Mugabe government has forfeited good
relations with the United States. The Clinton Administration and Members
of Congress should condemn Mugabe”s anti-democratic policies that are
crippling the country. Moreover, Washington should:
Suspend assistance to the government of Zimbabwe. According to the U.S.
Department of State, the United States has invested over $750 million in
Zimbabwe since 1980. It has appropriated $14 million in foreign aid for
Zimbabwe in 2000, and the Administration has requested $16 million for
2001. All assistance should be frozen until Mugabe relinquishes power. The
World Bank suspended its aid to Zimbabwe on May 15 due to its delinquency
on debt service, and the International Monetary Fund froze disbursements
to Zimbabwe when it learned the government had misrepresented expenditures
in support of troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo and failed to
meet economic targets. The United States should oppose efforts to resume
this aid and debt forgiveness until Mugabe leaves office. Provide support
and technical assistance to advance democracy. The Clinton Administration
should make support for and technical assistance to the democratic
opposition through groups like the National Democratic Institute and the
International Republican Institute a priority, consistent with U.S. policy
in other countries where democracy has been stifled, such as Serbia and
Nigeria. The United States should not be a selective champion of
democracy.
Plan to assist in elections following Mugabe”s abdication or removal from
office. Zimbabwe has established opposition parties, as evidenced by the
June election of 57 MDC parliamentarians. To help restore democracy, the
United States should work with the U.N. and non-governmental organizations
to organize and supervise elections soon after Mugabe leaves office.
Conclusion. The tragedy of Zimbabwe rests squarely on Mugabe”s shoulders,
but Washington”s failure to speak out and support democracy and the rule
of law in Zimbabwe has contributed to the people”s suffering at the hands
of the Mugabe government. It is past time for Washington to act.
— Brett D. Schaefer is Jay Kingham Fellow in International Regulatory
Affairs in the Center for International Trade and Economics (CITE) at The
Heritage Foundation. Produced by the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis
Institute for International Studies. This editorial was made available
through The Heritage Foundation.