Arcadia Foundation

Lifting the many sanctions burdening Zimbabwe is clearly essential for the nation’s growth. Economically, Zim would be able to re-develop their once bountiful export market, private enterprise would be promoted to flourish, the agricultural and mining sectors can regroup without threat of corruption. Communities can be given the resources to fight the devastating impact of a cholera that has never been fully ‘arrested‘.

Indeed, with a functioning government, led by Prime Minister and Movement for Democratic Change member Morgan Tsvangirai, such suprisingly-attainable feats could be possible. Just read Vijay Mahajans  ’Africa Rising‘ for more on the ample investment opportunities in the region, opportunities China may be the first to claim (such is their geopolitical strategy, one Mr. Obama has made the choice to ignore).

However, such opportunity is time and again stifled, and unfortunately the reasoning not only makes sense but depicts that vicious cycle claiming Zimbabwean potential. This time, House of Commons International Development Committee Chairman Malcolm Bruce yesterday stated that Britain has made clear that the key to lifting sanctions is for ‘those blocking progress in Zimbabwe‘ to honor their commitments.

One can decipher the coding behind the sentence how they wish. This blogger believes a Mugabe-led unity government doesn’t reflect the electoral vote, and BLOCKS PROGRESS IN ZIMBABWE.

Many refer to what the major western bodies are doing to Zimbabwe as ‘economic terrorism‘, a notion easily refutable, but lets address it for just a moment – Dambisa Moyo wrote a brilliant book entitled ‘Dead Aid‘, where she infers what happens when concessional loans and/r grants are given to corrupt governments. Trust in the fact that Port-au-Prince, as an example, will never give its citizenry the full support of those who donated, no matter how near-transparent the channel to Haiti has become.

In the post-election era, shadow cabinets run by Zanu-PF hindered legislation passing deliberately to besmirch the MDC, torture camps have been set up to intimidate and indeed punish noted MDC supporters ahead of the next election, and cholera not only ran rampant but continues to plague a citizenry with no where to turn. Mugabe has broken the terms of the power-sharing agreement and installed his own people at the head of nearly every industry. (Note our source is from Parade Magazine’s ‘10 Worst Dictators‘)

With UN officials under heavy scrutiny for possibly conspiring with the Zanu-PF regime, these sanctions, though severe, are not permanent. In fact, the United States was quick to send aid  to Zimbabwe after meeting with Mr. Tsvangirai in Washington and having been assured, like in DC, that ‘change was on the way‘.

As an update, the International Monetary Fund will decide later this month on whether to restore Zimbabwe’s voting rights in the fund, Finance Minister Tendai Biti said as recently as today.

Biti told Reuters in an interview that the move was in response to the positive reforms implemented by the unity government. And yes, malaria awareness seemed to be one of those few campaigns where both camps seemed to agree it was pertinent to tackle effectively. Though, The PR reasoning behind the campaign could be to have Mugabe’s administration successfully handle a manageable initiative – malaria awareness, to perhaps curb the widespread belief that he bungled cholera.

Time will tell, but ultimately, all signs for the lifting of the indeed heavy economic sanctions point to the erratic freedom fighter-turned authoritarian with a stranglehold on power – Robert Mugabe.

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