The West, rightly, condemned Saddam Hussein's actions against some of his peoples. In fact, apart from the now known to have been non-existent WMD's, one justification for the invasion of Iraq was to topple Saddam,"free" his people from his tyranny and bring democracy to the country.
By extension the same considerations ought to apply to Zimbawbe. However, the country is effectively off the air in any media reports - certainly in Australia - whilst Mugabe continues his totally outlandish conduct and the country goes to rack and ruin. Politicians seem to ignore the country. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Zimbawbe has no oil or other resource valuable to the West.
The NY Times yesterday reported on the plight of those living in Zimbabwe:
"For close to seven years, Zimbabwe’s economy and quality of life have been in slow, uninterrupted decline. They are still declining this year, people there say, with one notable difference: the pace is no longer so slow.
Indeed, Zimbabwe’s economic descent has picked up so much speed that President Robert G. Mugabe, the nation’s leader for 27 years, is starting to lose support from parts of his own party.
In recent weeks, the national power authority has warned of a collapse of electrical service. A breakdown in water treatment has set off a new outbreak of cholera in the capital, Harare. All public services were cut off in Marondera, a regional capital of 50,000 in eastern Zimbabwe, after the city ran out of money to fix broken equipment. In Chitungwiza, just south of Harare, electricity is supplied only four days a week.
The government awarded all civil servants a 300 percent raise two weeks ago. But the increase is only a fraction of the inflation rate, so the nation’s 110,000 teachers are staging a work slowdown for more money. Measured by the black-market value of Zimbabwe’s ragtag currency, even their new salaries total less than 60 American dollars a month.
Doctors and nurses have been on strike for five weeks, seeking a pay increase of nearly 9,000 percent, and health care is all but nonexistent. Harare’s police chief warned in a recently leaked memo that if rank-and-file officers did not get a substantial raise, they might riot."
By extension the same considerations ought to apply to Zimbawbe. However, the country is effectively off the air in any media reports - certainly in Australia - whilst Mugabe continues his totally outlandish conduct and the country goes to rack and ruin. Politicians seem to ignore the country. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Zimbawbe has no oil or other resource valuable to the West.
The NY Times yesterday reported on the plight of those living in Zimbabwe:
"For close to seven years, Zimbabwe’s economy and quality of life have been in slow, uninterrupted decline. They are still declining this year, people there say, with one notable difference: the pace is no longer so slow.
Indeed, Zimbabwe’s economic descent has picked up so much speed that President Robert G. Mugabe, the nation’s leader for 27 years, is starting to lose support from parts of his own party.
In recent weeks, the national power authority has warned of a collapse of electrical service. A breakdown in water treatment has set off a new outbreak of cholera in the capital, Harare. All public services were cut off in Marondera, a regional capital of 50,000 in eastern Zimbabwe, after the city ran out of money to fix broken equipment. In Chitungwiza, just south of Harare, electricity is supplied only four days a week.
The government awarded all civil servants a 300 percent raise two weeks ago. But the increase is only a fraction of the inflation rate, so the nation’s 110,000 teachers are staging a work slowdown for more money. Measured by the black-market value of Zimbabwe’s ragtag currency, even their new salaries total less than 60 American dollars a month.
Doctors and nurses have been on strike for five weeks, seeking a pay increase of nearly 9,000 percent, and health care is all but nonexistent. Harare’s police chief warned in a recently leaked memo that if rank-and-file officers did not get a substantial raise, they might riot."
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