Zimbabe may collapse in 6 months

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Didn't Zimbabwe have a food surplus a few years ago?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Didn't Zimbabwe have a food surplus a few years ago?

Up until Mugabe's supporters murdered and drove out the white farmers, so he could "give the land back to the people".

[Scott & Lai 12]

A very good friend of my was born in Zimbabwe.. he loves the country has a heart for it's people.. this is sad really.. Another example of the world standing by and watching as Africa suffers.. We suck pretty much.

So, you agree with Mugabe; Zimbabwe's collapse has nothing to do with his disgusting policies, but is in fact the West's fault?

Of course I'm not saying that.. I just think it's interesting how the world watches as someone like Mugabe does this to his country.. we don't intervene - when we have the ability to help and yet we don't. Just looking at the situation from a distance it sometimes appears to me that an African life is worth less than others.... The AIDS epidemic, the Southern Sudan, all these crises and other than NGO's we generally turn a blind eye to their needs and issues. I'm including me in this btw... not just gov. I fall into this trap over and over again.

So, how are you personally responsible? What is it that you are capable of doing, but don't do? Simply being aware of the problems of other parts of the world doesn't mean that we have the power to do anything about them. And what should we as a nation be doing? Should we be taking out every government that is doing evil to its people?

[Emancipation 2]

A very good friend of my was born in Zimbabwe.. he loves the country has a heart for it's people.. this is sad really.. Another example of the world standing by and watching as Africa suffers.. We suck pretty much.

So, you agree with Mugabe; Zimbabwe's collapse has nothing to do with his disgusting policies, but is in fact the West's fault?

Of course I'm not saying that.. I just think it's interesting how the world watches as someone like Mugabe does this to his country.. we don't intervene - when we have the ability to help and yet we don't. Just looking at the situation from a distance it sometimes appears to me that an African life is worth less than others.... The AIDS epidemic, the Southern Sudan, all these crises and other than NGO's we generally turn a blind eye to their needs and issues. I'm including me in this btw... not just gov. I fall into this trap over and over again.

So, how are you personally responsible? What is it that you are capable of doing, but don't do? Simply being aware of the problems of other parts of the world doesn't mean that we have the power to do anything about them. And what should we as a nation be doing? Should we be taking out every government that is doing evil to its people?

I am a person the believes fully that we are all human beings and that the problems and situations that we have in our world in general are everyone's reponsability.. The UN has been warning the World for years about Darfur for example, but I haven't seen any Country stand up and DO anything significant to help the situation and the suffering of those on the ground.. In my situation.. Personally we sponsored a family from Sudan as a church.. we reunited a family that was torn by the struggle there. Did i sacrifice to help them get situated and settled in their new country? Do I really give to NGO's like I should? Are there ways daily I can help raise awareness about situations world wide that are unjust? I believe strongly that we need to help our brothers & sisters worldwide.. it's not enough to just know.. with knowledge comes responsability IMO.. and to just talk about how terrible this is and do nothing to help those who are suffering for me would be against what I believe and stand for.

[homesick_american 1]

Didn't Zimbabwe have a food surplus a few years ago?

You can still find some produce from Zimbabwe in UK supermarkets; the ones I tend to see now are green beans and chili peppers. Tesco is particularly bad about selling produce from Zimbabwe; we complained to them and they didn't give a toss. Sainsbury's used to stock goods from Zimbabwe but I haven't seen any in a couple of years; it seems they're getting green beans and chili peppers from neighboring African countries.

I think it's completely unacceptable for UK businesses to purchase exports of food from Zimbabwe when the people who LIVE there don't have enough to eat. It's revolting.

I think it's time for the USA to step up to the plate and at least do SOMETHING...no political interference, mind you, but we should be sending food, medical supplies, medical personnel, etc. to see the people through the crisis that IS coming...it is only a question of when. We should also be pushing the United Nations to try Mugabe as genocidal maniac since he's committing genocide against his OWN people. He's a disgusting pig of a man. He's not even a man. He's an IT.

The UK is no better than the USA in this respect; as Zimbabwe's former colonial power it has exercised very little influence or control over the situation and is even balking at the number of Zimbabwean refugees finding their way into the UK. Some of them are getting asylum, but the government is also sending Zimbabwean refugees back to a country where they have no prospects of employment, the country itself is extraordinarily violent, and there is a distinct possibility of starving to death and really great odds of dying before their fortieth birthday. It is disgusting.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

There's nothing good about this situation - even if Mugabe is deposed or otherwise forced out, its going to be a slow process of attrition in which many people will die. And very likely that a civil war will follow.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Realistically speaking, there's little we can do in Africa. For every Mugabe we'd take out, there will be a al-Bashir or Zenawi rising up. Unless we're saying that the White Man (or the West) goes in there to run the show - assuming that he'd do a better job. That would, in most places, be much less popular than what folks there currently have. It's quite frustrating indeed.

[mawilson 2,133]

Let's rename it back to Rhodesia.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I like how some of these people that are so hung up on power are completely rubbish at actually running the country.

My guess is Mugabe won't be around long if he can't satisfy his supporters with the luxurious lifestyles they're accustomed to. Meanwhile everyone else is eating shoe-leather

That's if there is a shoe that can be found to be eaten.

Actually I remember a report on CNN not too long ago where it was reported that Zimbabweans were actually reduced to eating rats. Mugabe needs to go.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/12/19...abwe/index.html

It wouldn't be the first time something like that's happened either. People end up starving for no real reason, not because there is a drought or famine - but because the autocratic government runs the economy and infrastructure into the the ground; then either has no money to buy food to feed the people, or simply chooses to spend it on luxuries for themselves.

His land reforms were a crime against humanity IMO. Abolished the large agricultural plantations, forced out the white farmers and gave small tracts of land to individuals who have no knowledge about farming, and couldn't produce sufficient food to sustain themselves, let alone the surplus needed to supply the rest of the country. Basically away he bartered away a key national resource for short term political gain.

The IMF also comes into play...

Thus, when the IMF advised Zimbabwe on a programme for economic structural adjustment, and provided much funding to facilitate and support the programme, Zimbabwe readily implemented those facets of the programme (which became known as Esap) which appealed to it, but either ignored the elements of the programme which were counter to the ideologies, economic perceptions and misconceptions, and the vested interests of those in power in Zimbabwe, or at best implemented the measures half-heartedly.

As a result, the first three years of Esap were a marked non-event, compounded by adverse climatic conditions. Belatedly, in 1994, the programme was pursued with somewhat greater commitment and vigour, resulting in some significant economic advances over the following three years. However, the liberalised, deregulated economy did not conform with the political and other aspirations of Zimbabwe's masters.

Esap represented freedom for the economy, but a straitjacket for the Establishment. Eventually the authorities could bear the constraints no more. They burst through the shackles that Esap represented to them (but not to the economy), and progressively reversed all that Esap had achieved.

http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/bwi-wt...1025zimlove.htm