Friday, March 6, 2009

Zimbabwe's Primer Minister Tsvangirai Injured, Wife Susan Dies in Crash

The accident occurred south of Harare and was evidently caused by, amongst other factors, that most streets are not two-way. So overtaking cars is the norm. The details aren't clear, though the story by The World appears most reliable. Other sources are citing that Susan Tsvangirai is severely injured, but one wonders whether as reputable a show as The World would declare her death unless they had confirmed with several reliable sources. One hopes.

But though the American eye may be focused on Pakistan, Iran and Iraq, even Afghanistan, I can't help but lament American foreign inattention to countries like Zimbabwe. Evidently since we cannot colonize them, exploit their resources, or otherwise subjugate them, they don't really register on our foreign policy radar, let alone your average person.

But this country's struggles over the past year and a half to establish something of truce between Robert Mugabe, the President of over 28 years, and Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition leader, has been a lasting indictment of the pernicious vestiges of colonialism in Africa. Though Robert Mugabe was initially hailed as a "Democratic-Western-style" leader when he led his country to independence, Westerners are now shocked and amazed at how he has remained unwilling to relinquish power.

Hypocrisy-much?

Not to mention that whenever Western NGO's have offered help, especially last year with all the slayings of Tsvangirai supporters over the election Mugabe seemed to have lost, many of Mugabe's ministers would staunchly aver that there was no way they were going to let Western organizations in their country. Who knows, they might try to colonize them again. Take resources, labor and power away from the Zimbabweans.

Sound crazy? Look at Iraq.

I don't have judgment about what's going on Zimbabwe about "Human Rights Violations" because I don't believe we should be pointing the finger at anyone else when the West is the reason they are in this mess in the first place. But I do have a lot of sympathy for the people. That nation. And it's really sad history.

That seems a nation worth volunteering for.

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