Robert Mugabe assumed presidential rule over Zimbabwe in 1980 at the conclusion of the country's war of independence from Britain. For the first time since Mugabe's devastating and debilitating rise to power, there has emerged from within the nation's resilient opposition party (the Movement for Democratic Change) a potential new leader, or better yet, a potential savior in Morgan Tsvangirai.
As Zimbabwe's election commission has failed to produce coherent results to the election held on Mar. 29, vicious debate between Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party and opposition party -- the MDC -- over the presidential outcome has left the country in a very dangerous place. The MDC contends that its party won more than 50 percent of the vote, in which case a run-off election between the top two candidates would be rendered unnecessary. Not surprisingly, Mugabe's ruling party contests these statistics, citing contradictory results from different regional polling stations as justification for a runoff election round. Mugabe has deployed the military to suppress protests and political rallies.
In retaliation, the MDC has called for a general strike. At the expense of feeding his unquenchable thirst for authoritarian power, Robert Mugabe has once again incited bloodshed and produced chaos and alarm in a country that was once hailed as the beacon of Africa.
The Former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan recently announced that Zimbabwe is teetering "on the brink." What Annan failed to acknowledge, however, is that Zimbabwe has been teetering on the verge of complete destruction for decades now, and the international community has done very little about it. Despite bitter denunciations from self-righteous Western leaders of Mugabe's appalling human rights human record and undemocratic political tendencies, the demagogue has been allowed to continue his reign of terror. Despite depriving Zimbabweans of food, housing and any sense of economic stability (the economy is currently suffering from 3,000 percent inflation), Mugabe has been tolerated by the global community.
South Africa's president Thabo Mbeki has acted cowardly, neglecting to criticize or condemn Mugabe and his regime. Instead, Mbeki has opted out of the situation altogether under the pretense of "quiet diplomacy." And as far as surrounding African nations are concerned, the South African publication Financial Mail rightfully asks, "where are the voices of Mozambique, Zambia, Namibia, Tanzania, Malawi... and others? And what of the Organisation for African Unity?"
Western nations' attempts to allegedly ameliorate the situation in Zimbabwe have been equally cowardly, pathetic and insignificant. Since 1998, for instance, Europe and the United States have imposed economic and political sanctions on Zimbabwe, including a ban on travel to the European Union, arms restrictions and an immobilization of financial assets held in Europe. Not surprisingly, attempting to lay down the law with the lawless -- namely Mugabe and his ruling elite -- has had little effect. Western economic aid has also proved to be ineffectual, as injecting millions of dollars into a country whose political management is in ruins and whose leaders have no respect for the law only serves to encourage fraudulence.
Due to the international community's failure to act responsibly, it is only now, 28 years later, that the nightmare inflicted by Robert Mugabe on the Zimbabwean people may come to an end. With regards to the Zimbabwe situation, there are two major tragedies. The first tragedy is what has happened to the Zimbabwean people since Robert Mugabe's ascension to power. The second is that the international community has passively observed as hundreds of millions of our fellow human beings have perished in our midst.
In the wake of nearly three decades of passive non-interference, the international community should now seize the opportunity to oust Robert Mugabe from power, and finally contribute positively towards Zimbabwe's future. As Tendai Biti, Secretary General of the Movement for Democratic Change, explains, "we are concerned by the deafening silence" surrounding Zimbabwe. He continues: "I say to our brothers and sisters across the continent, don't wait for dead bodies in the streets of Harare." We all have a choice -- to connect with the rest of the world or to cut it off. Let's hope that the global community in the coming weeks makes the right choice. Non-interventionism is not an alternative. Hell is not other people.
