 |
|
Homepage | Features | News Sources | Zimbabwe Special | Science Links | Venezuela |
| World News |
 |
Africa Links |  |
 |
|
Forums | |
|
|
Science Today | |
|
|
Crusade News | |
|
|
Caribbean | |
|
|
BOOKS | |
March 2007Zimbabwe's Lonely Fight for JusticePosted: Saturday, March 31, 2007 ¤ Lift Sanctions on Zimbabwe -SADC ¤ Chavez: Takeover of 16 Estates for Land Reform Sixteen landed estates will be expropriated for Venezuela's land reform program, announced President Hugo Chavez yesterday, during his television program Alo Presidente. The total area of land that will thus become available for redistribution to peasants and agricultural cooperatives will exceed 330,000 hectares (815,000 acres) in the Venezuelan states of Apure, Anzoátegui, Barinas, Guárico, Portuguesa and Aragua. The estates, which are all considered to be idle, are located throughout the country, explained Chavez, and will be used primarily for cattle ranching, due to the type of land involved. The effort represents a "true attack against latifundios [large idle landed estates]," said Chavez. He also added that landowners that own productive land do not need to worry, because cultivated land will not be touched by the government. ¤ Zimbabwe's Lonely Fight for Justice Ever since veterans of the guerrilla war against apartheid Rhodesia violently seized white-owned farms in Zimbabwe, the country's president, Robert Mugabe, has been demonized by politicians, human rights organizations and the media in the West. His crimes, according to right-wing sources, are numerous: human rights abuses, election rigging, repression of political opponents, corruption, and mismanagement of the economy. Leftist detractors say Mugabe talks left and walks right, and that his anti-imperialist rhetoric is pure demagogy. I'm going to argue that the basis for Mugabe's demonization is the desire of Western powers to change the economic and land redistribution policies Mugabe's government has pursued; that his lapses from liberal democratic rectitude are, in themselves, of little moment to decision makers in Washington and London; and that the ultimate aim of regime change is to replace Mugabe with someone who can be counted on to reliably look after Western interests, and particularly British investments, in Zimbabwe. ¤ Mistrial in Olympia 15 Case ¤ Unforgettable defeat ¤ The little Saudi surprise: So it stings. Live with it ¤ Worst fighting in Mogadishu for 15 years ¤ General Tried to Warn Bush About Tillman ¤ U.S. steps up campaign against Syrian government ¤ U.S. caught off guard by Saudi king's criticism ¤ Mugabe gets backing of party for five more years ¤ Oil and the Empire ¤ If the Iraqis Get Revenue Sharing, Exxon Gets Their Oil ¤ Iraqi justice minister resigns ¤ Again, It's the US vs. the World ¤ We've Lost The Authority to Lecture Iran ¤ Rosie Opens 9/11 Conspiracy 'View' Debate ¤ 14 killed in Iraq car bombings ¤ Blair's Faked Border ¤ Iraq bombings claim more than 130 lives Lift Sanctions on Zimbabwe -SADC Posted: Friday, March 30, 2007 From Innocent Gore in DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania herald.co.zw March 30, 2007 In a communiqué released at the end of a one-day extraordinary summit attended by 10 heads of state and government here, Sadc also appealed to the British government to honour its obligations and release funds to compensate former commercial farmers whose land was acquired for resettlement. The summit "noted and appreciated the briefing by President Robert Mugabe on the current political developments in Zimbabwe". "The Extraordinary Summit recalled that free, fair and democratic presidential elections were held in 2002 in Zimbabwe. The Extraordinary Summit reaffirmed its solidarity with the Government and people of Zimbabwe. "The Extraordinary Summit reiterated the appeal to Britain to honour its compensation obligations with regard to land reform made at Lancaster House. "The Extraordinary Summit appealed for the lifting of all forms of sanctions against Zimbabwe," read the communiqué. The Sadc heads mandated Sadc executive secretary Mr Tomaz Salamao to undertake a study on the economic situation in Zimbabwe and propose measures on how the regional bloc can assist the country to recover economically. This is the first time that Sadc has collectively called for the lifting of sanctions on Zimbabwe and come up with a proposal on how the effects of those sanctions on the country can be countered. The sanctions against Zimbabwe by Britain and her allies follow a bilateral dispute between Harare and London after the country embarked on land reforms in 2000. The British government of Mrs Margaret Thatcher promised to release funds for land reforms at the Lancaster House constitutional conference that culminated in Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980 after a protracted armed struggle. However, the Labour government of Mr Tony Blair has refused to honour that obligation and has instead mobilised its allies — the United States and some countries in the European Union — to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe. Sadc has previously made it clear that the problems in Zimbabwe are a result of a bilateral dispute with Britain, mainly arising from the land reform programme, but had not pronounced itself explicitly on the need to have the sanctions lifted. The Government has said it will not compensate the former commercial farmers for the land because it does not have the money to do so, but that it will pay for the improvements on the land such as dams and other infrastructure. On the political situation in the country, the summit mandated President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa to continue to facilitate dialogue between the MDC and the Government and report back to the troika on Defence, Politics and Security on progress. "The Extraordinary Summit also encouraged enhanced diplomatic contacts which will assist the resolution of the situation in Zimbabwe," read the communique. The summit was held in the wake of a protracted media onslaught on Zimbabwe by the West, with the international media, particularly the BBC and CNN, speculating that President Mugabe had been "summoned" by Sadc leaders to be "dressed down" or "shown the exit". But sources who attended the meeting’s closed-door session said President Mugabe briefed the leaders on the political situation in the country and the MDC terror campaign that has seen the opposition party petrol-bombing police stations in Harare, Chitungwiza, Gweru and Mutare. Suspected MDC supporters also petrol-bombed a Bulawayo-bound passenger train and a supermarket in Warren Park. Speaking to reporters on arrival at Harare International Airport, the President said the summit had also urged the MDC to desist from violence and to recognise him and his Government as he was legitimately re-elected by the people of Zimbabwe in 2002. He said President Mbeki would talk to the opposition and see whether there is need for dialogue with them, but warned them against engaging in violence. The summit also got briefings on the political situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Lesotho by the leaders of those countries, President Joseph Kabila and Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili respectively. The leaders resolved to render unconditional support to Mr Kabila’s government in its quest to restore law and order, maintaining peace and stability and spearheading national reconstruction. It reaffirmed the sovereign right of the DRC to have a single national army and urged former Vice President Jean Pierre Bemba to integrate his remaining armed elements into the national army or to be demobilised. They also appealed to other armed groups in the DRC to do the same. The summit reiterated that the rule of law in the DRC must be observed and respected by all parties in conformity with accepted international conventions. It expressed concern on the loss of lives and urged all parties to respect the sanctity of human life and the principles of human rights. The summit also expressed support to the ongoing efforts for the economic reconstruction of the DRC. On Lesotho, the summit agreed to send a Sadc delegation at ministerial level to assess the situation as requested by the opposition political parties who want the regional bloc to help in dealing with post-election tensions. The other leaders who attended the summit were host President Jakaya Kikwete, President Bingu wa Mutharika of Malawi, President Armando Guebuza of Mozambique, President Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibia, Prime Minister Themba Dlamini of Swaziland and President Levy Mwanawasa of Zambia. Botswana was represented by its Vice President, Mr Ian Khama, while Angola was represented by its Minister of External Affairs, Mr Joao Bernardo Miranda. Madagascar and Mauritius were represented by their ambassadors. President Mugabe returned home last night and was met at Harare International Airport by Vice President Joice Mujuru, the Minister of State Security, Land Reform and Resettlement, Cde Didymus Mutasa, the Minister of Information and Publicity, Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, service chiefs and senior Government officials. Reprinted from: www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=17068&cat=1 Email: zimbabwecrisis@yahoo.com Visit: Zimbabwe Watch Chavez: Takeover of 16 Estates for Land Reform Posted: Friday, March 30, 2007 Chavez Announces Takeover of 16 Estates for Venezuela's Land Reform By Venezuelanalysis.com March 26, 2007 Sixteen landed estates will be expropriated for Venezuela's land reform program, announced President Hugo Chavez yesterday, during his television program Alo Presidente. The total area of land that will thus become available for redistribution to peasants and agricultural cooperatives will exceed 330,000 hectares (815,000 acres) in the Venezuelan states of Apure, Anzoátegui, Barinas, Guárico, Portuguesa and Aragua. The estates, which are all considered to be idle, are located throughout the country, explained Chavez, and will be used primarily for cattle ranching, due to the type of land involved. The effort represents a "true attack against latifundios [large idle landed estates]," said Chavez. He also added that landowners that own productive land do not need to worry, because cultivated land will not be touched by the government. Speaking about the estate known as Hato Calleja, from which his program was being broadcast and which comprises 24,883 hectares (62,250 acres), Chavez said, "Starting today it will pass on to be what it always should have been: social property and social production for the satisfaction of the needs of the people." Chavez also announced the implementation of a new Integral Agricultural Development Plan for 2007 to 2008, which is supposed to contribute to Venezuela's "food sovereignty." Currently Venezuela imports approximately 70% of its food needs and the Chavez government has declared that it aims to increase agricultural production so that it no longer has to rely on imports to cover the country's basic food needs. The plan involves state support for strategic food categories, such as for rice, sugar cane, cacao, soy, coffee, cattle, fish, corn, cotton, and others. "The objective of this plan is to promote the new production model on the base of principles of agrarian socialism and of social property," said Chavez. In one of the estates that was being expropriated in the state of Apure, General Wilfredo Silva told of how the army had to repel an attack from armed individuals that day. The attackers escaped and are now being tracked, said Silva. In the process the military discovered a small plane, which he suspects is used for drug smuggling. Chavez affirmed that all too often large landowners are "hiding crimes, drug trafficking and smuggling." According to official figures the Chavez government has so far redistributed over two million hectares to over 150,000 families in the course of the land reform program, over the past five years. Most of this land, though, has so far come from land the state owns. With yesterday's announcement, though, the land reform is poised to shift towards the redistribution of privately held land. Social Property In connection with the new push for land redistribution, Chavez also announced that the constitutional reforms he is proposing will include a section for the introduction of social or collective property. "It's property that belongs to everyone and it's going to benefit everyone," said Chavez. Last January Chavez announced five "motors" for the introduction of "21st century socialism" in Venezuela, of which constitutional reform is one of the five motors. The other four were the enabling law, which allows Chavez to pass laws by decree for a period of 18 months, education reform, the reform of political-territorial jurisdictions within Venezuela, and the "explosion of communal power." Reprinted from: www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=2251 The little Saudi surprise: So it stings. Live with it Posted: Friday, March 30, 2007 WASHINGTON: American officials said Thursday that they were caught off guard by remarks by the Saudi king condemning the American intervention in Iraq as "an illegal foreign occupation" and were seeking clarification. But they sought to tamp down tensions over the comments. "We were a little surprised to see those remarks," Nicholas Burns, the under secretary of state for political affairs, told a Senate hearing, referring to the statement by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia at the opening of an Arab League summit meeting in Riyadh on Wednesday. "We disagree with them." Full Article : iht.com Africa Summit Calls for End to Sanctions Posted: Thursday, March 29, 2007 ¤ Africa Summit Calls for End to Sanctions African leaders agreed that President Thabo Mbeki should facilitate dialogue between the government and opposition political parties in Zimbabwe amid calls from Western leaders for strong actions to be taken against President Mugabe and the government of Zimbabwe. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) also called for western sanctions on Zimbabwe to be lifted and appealed to Britain to honour its commitments to assist with financing land reforms in Zimbabwe. ¤ Brit 'Hostage' Drama Pales in Comparison to MI6 and CIA Crimes Against Iran ¤ US and Europe's Disinformation Campaign ¤ Castro warns poor will starve for greener fuel ¤ Britain Must Admit Error, Iran Says ¤ Russian intelligence sees U.S. military buildup on Iran border ¤ Baghdad Green Zone sees spike in mortars, rockets ¤ Shia Police Kill at Least 33 in Retaliation for Bombings ¤ Oil Traders Fear an Attack on Iran ¤ The Queen's Celebration: Slavery Without Regrets ¤ Iraq deaths greet new US ambassador ¤ Wake Up, You Live in America! ¤ Better That Iranians Didn't Go After Yanks ¤ Opposition to the War Growing Among Troops ¤ Bush's Long History of Tilting Justice ¤ Iraq blog spat leads to web chaos ¤ I'll Pay for Your Vacation in Iraq or Afghanistan! ¤ Multiple Bombings Kill More Than 100 ¤ What's wrong with this photo? ¤ Surviving At The Pleasure Of The President ¤ Stuck between Iraq and a Hard Place ¤ Take the word 'terrorism' ¤ America's Continued Crime Against Humanity / Radioactive Genocide ¤ Blood and Irony: No-Flying the Unfriendly Skies of Iraq ¤ The Racist War on Immigrants Zimbabwe: Africa Summit Calls for End to Sanctions Posted: Thursday, March 29, 2007 Zimbabwe Watch March 29, 2007 African leaders agreed that President Thabo Mbeki should facilitate dialogue between the government and opposition political parties in Zimbabwe amid calls from Western leaders for strong actions to be taken against President Mugabe and the government of Zimbabwe. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) also called for western sanctions on Zimbabwe to be lifted and appealed to Britain to honour its commitments to assist with financing land reforms in Zimbabwe. This may seem to be a slap in the face of Western leaders' calls for tough words and actions from African leaders against Robert Mugabe. It is quite obvious that African leaders are not dependant on western sources for news and reports on what is taking place in Zimbabwe. "Of course the appeal to parties is to be cooperative and give this initiative a chance, also for the parties to exercise restraint and avoid anything that's going to inflame the situation," Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete told reporters at a news conference. "The extraordinary summit mandated his Excellency President Thabo Mbeki to continue to facilitate dialogue between opposition and government and report back ... on progress," a statement at the end of the two-day summit said. "The extraordinary summit reiterated its appeal to Britain to honour its compensation obligations with regard to land reforms," the summit statement said. Also Read: Zimbabwe: US and Europe's Disinformation Campaign Africa summit calls for Zimbabwe dialogue Africa summit seek Zimbabwe talks Email: zimbabwecrisis@yahoo.com Visit: Zimbabwe Watch British pawns in an Iranian game Posted: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 ¤ Zimbabwe Watch | ¤ Somalia's Crisis ¤ South Africa lays Zimbabwe crisis at MDC door ¤ A monstrous war crime ¤ British pawns in an Iranian game ¤ Why the West is Losing the War on Terror ¤ How Americans are Seduced by War Video Lecture ¤ A fake British map? More on the Captured Brits ¤ U.S. Sponsoring Kurdish Guerilla Attacks Inside Iran ¤ 4 die in suicide attack targeting Afghan intelligence chief ¤ Torturers 'must pay victims' - UN ¤ The Missing WMD – in Trucks in Iraq ¤ Crimes and Cover Ups are Not "Missteps" ¤ U.S. launches show of force in Persian Gulf ¤ The new Iraq that Georgie built ¤ Another question ¤ Once Were Soldiers: More Bush Abuse for Cannon Fodder ¤ Counting the cost ¤ Easter Surprise: Attack on Iran, New 9/11... or Worse ¤ Hooked On Weapons: Unfortunately It’s Us ¤ Iran: Britain must admit navy trespassed ¤ A Fake British Map?? ¤ Brits in the Gulf - What We Dont Know South Africa lays Zimbabwe crisis at MDC door Posted: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 By Donwald Pressly www.news24.com Cape Town - The serious conflict in Zimbabwe has arisen because of the perception by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) that recent elections in Zimbabwe were not free and fair, said a South African government spokesperson, Themba Maseko, on Tuesday. "I think it is now public record that there were elections in Zimbabwe... at the end of those elections, the MDC were of the view that those elections were not free and fair. "Based on the view of the MDC, we then had a situation in Zimbabwe where there was serious conflict arising out of the premise taken by the MDC that the elections were not free and fair." It, however, was the position of the South African government that the recent elections had been free and fair, he noted. The answer was in reply to a question from a journalist - at a media briefing after Tuesday's cabinet meeting in Cape Town - as to what the government's analysis of the key problem was in neighbouring Zimbabwe. Full Article : news24.com S. African official defends policy towards Zimbabwe South Africa's Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad on Tuesday said his country adopts constructive diplomacy, not quiet diplomacy as described by critics, towards the Zimbabwean situation. During a media briefing at Parliament in Cape Town, he also rejected suggestions that economic sanctions should be imposed as a means to resolve the crisis in Zimbabwe, the South African Press Association (SAPA) reported. Full Article : english.people.com.cn Email: zimbabwecrisis@yahoo.com Visit: Zimbabwe Watch Zimbabwe: Opposition suspected in petrol bombings Posted: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 Petrol bomber arrested Herald Reporter A SUSPECTED petrol bomber has been arrested amid reports that Zanu-PF district offices in Mbare and a police camp in Chitungwiza were bombed yesterday. Police chief spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena said Stanley Mutsendi (35) of Unit G, Seke, was arrested at the weekend for allegedly petrol-bombing a house at Unit N Police Camp in Chitungwiza. He said Mutsendi, a member of one of the opposition's so-called Democratic Resistance Committees – underground groups that have been unleashing orgies of violence to create mayhem and render Zimbabwe ungovernable – was picked up at Makoni Shopping Centre. "We confirm his arrest in connection with the petrol-bombing of a house in a police camp in Chitungwiza and we are going to charge him with public violence," Asst Comm Bvudzijena said. He said Mutsendi was also linked to the bombing of a house belonging to a Zanu-PF councillor in Chitungwiza. "In a period of 12 days, we have had petrol bombs thrown in eight incidents around the country and in different circumstances. These are clearly acts of terrorism. The ZRP is determined to bring to book those who have committed these acts," Asst Comm Bvudzijena said. Full Article : herald.co.zw Email: zimbabwecrisis@yahoo.com Visit: Zimbabwe Watch Britain's Financial Decision to End the Slave Trade Posted: Tuesday, March 27, 2007 ¤ Celebrating the Madness: Britain's Financial Decision to End the Slave Trade When has Western society ever taken moral precedence over the dollar? All the examples chronicled in our recent and ancient history indicate that the answer is a resounding "never." It is therefore safe to say that the decision to ban the slave trade in 1807 was not about those in authority taking moral and legal responsibility for an injustice but, as historical evidence has proven, was a decision based on the economics of the time. ¤ Zimbabwe: White Liberals Cannot See Truth in Africa Most White liberals and their media (including websites) are useless when it comes to evaluating issues from a Black point of view. They are not only useless when African nations and leaders have to be defended against the aggression of the US and Europe, but some go a step further and are more dangerous by how they spread the racist lies of the West. I guess they only view racism as when someone stands in a crowded place and shouts the "N" word. I did not expect them to be able to evaluate issues from an African point of view, especially as most of them could not even get it right on Venezuela during the coup attempt in 2002. ¤ Mainstream Media Demonizes Mugabe ¤ The American Ghosts of Abu Ghraib ¤ Why George Bush is Insane ¤ The Pentagon's Power to Jail Americans Indefinitely ¤ China shifts to euros for Iran oil ¤ 'NYT' Reporter Who Got Iraqi WMDs Wrong Now Highlights Iran Claims ¤ Truck bombs kill dozens at Iraqi markets ¤ Stop the Killing in Darfur! (I'm Sorry, I Mean Iraq) ¤ Mr. Bush, Your Arab League Summit is Convened ¤ More Funding for the War in Iraq ¤ Iran's arrest of sailors was legitimate, says former UK envoy ¤ Broken Promises and Barefaced Lies ¤ A searing assault on Iraq's intellectuals ¤ Counting the cost ¤ Who won the 'war on terror'? ¤ 'Hundreds killed' in Congo fighting ¤ US in Gulf show of force ¤ Venezuela signs oil deal with China Terrorized by 'War on Terror' Posted: Monday, March 26, 2007 ¤ Terrorized by 'War on Terror' ¤ Scott Ritter: Calling Out Idiot America ¤ Demobilizing America ¤ The crushing fear that stalks America ¤ Where are the Laptop Bombardiers Now? ¤ 666 Days Left For The Devil Down In DC ¤ On India's Growing Violence ¤ The President's Prison ¤ The Administration Thinks You're Stupid ¤ The War Against Google ¤ Ancient Whale Fossil Uncovered in Tuscan Vineyard ¤ A Week in Hell ¤ End the War, Then Impeach ¤ Pat Tillman: Beyond the Hype ¤ Latin America Tells Bush to "Get Out!" ¤ Lies, Bullshit and Something Worse ¤ Sanctioning the next war of aggression ¤ U.S. documentary shows everyday abuse of Abu Ghraib ¤ Chavez asks world to halt alleged planned US attack on Iran ¤ Gang mayhem grips LA ¤ Fire show at Moscow nightclub leads to 10 deaths ¤ Iraqi deaths survey 'was robust' ¤ Iran ‘to try Britons for espionage' ¤ Silencing the Children of Iraq ¤ 'My son lived a worthwhile life' Formation of Unified Socialist Party of Venezuela Posted: Monday, March 26, 2007 Chavez Launches Formation of Unified Socialist Party of Venezuela In front of more than two thousand "promoters" for the Unified Socialist Party of Venezuela yesterday, President Hugo Chávez called for all the political parties that support him to unite behind the new party. These "promoters" will carry out the first stage in the formation of a united pro-government party by the end of the year. President Chávez emphasized that a united party is vital for the success of the Bolivarian process. Full Article : venezuelanalysis.com Power vacuum in Somalia as factions fight Posted: Monday, March 26, 2007 The worsening security situation in Somalia is being blamed on miscalculations by the Ethiopian government and the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) on the resilience of the Union of Islamic Courts. Also contributing to the situation is the apparent lack of determination of the African Union to take the necessary steps to maintain peace. Mogadishu underwent one its worst nights of violence last Wednesday, with the Somali capital coming under a barrage of mortar bombs that killed at least 20 people and left several wounded in what residents said was the heaviest bombardment in weeks. Full Article : nationmedia.com Now scientists create a sheep that's 15% human Posted: Monday, March 26, 2007 Scientists have created the world's first human-sheep chimera - which has the body of a sheep and half-human organs. Full Article : dailymail.co.uk Rendition and Regime Change in Somalia Posted: Saturday, March 24, 2007 ¤ Getting Away With It: Rendition and Regime Change in Somalia ¤ White Liberals Cannot See Truth in Africa ¤ Mugabe Gets the Milosevic Treatment ¤ Zimbabwe Watch | Somalia's Crisis ¤ Bush's Iran madness ¤ Israel's Last Chance ¤ Yes, Congressman, I Do Have a Problem With That ¤ America The Beautiful? ¤ Why CIA abuse is medieval madness ¤ To Stop War Crimes, Impeach The War Criminal ¤ Afghanistan Proves It ¤ That Thin Line Between National Policy and Sheer Lunacy ¤ Explosive New Vote Fraud Developments Continue To Rock Ohio and Florida ¤ Up to 60 dead in Kinshasa fighting ¤ Welcome to Iraq, Mr. Ban ¤ Weapons depot blasts kill 93 in Mozambique ¤ It is the US military that is engaged in an Iraqi conflict ¤ What's happened to Iraq's oil? ¤ Fooled Again ¤ Where Washington Lets No Good Deed Go Unpunished ¤ Suicide Truck Bomb Kills 11 in Baghdad ¤ Jeb Bush Denied Honor at U. of Florida ¤ Ontario Press Council refused to acknowledge proof of plagiarism ¤ WORDS ¤ Dick Cheney...An Iranian Mole? ¤ ABC (Under)counting Iraqi Dead ¤ America's original sin ¤ More Blood in the Wake of the "War on Terror" ¤ Navigating the web of lies and hoaxes seeded against Venezuela's Government Rendition and Regime Change in Somalia Posted: Saturday, March 24, 2007 Getting Away With It: Rendition and Regime Change in Somalia It's clear that no nation on earth will be allowed to organize its own society as it wishes, or work out its own internal conflicts, if the American elite decides they have some financial or strategic interest in the matter. The only nations immune to this power-mad interventionist philosophy are those who can strike back hard enough to upset the elite's apple cart. And thus we have Bush's "war on terror" – which is, as we've often noted, simply an escalation of the long-running, bipartisan foreign policy of the "National Security State" that has ruled America for 60 years. Continue reading: 'Rendition and Regime Change in Somalia' Zimbabwe: White Liberals Cannot See Truth in Africa Posted: Friday, March 23, 2007 By Ayinde rastafaritimes@yahoo.com March 23, 2007 MOST White liberals and their media (including websites) are useless when it comes to evaluating issues from a Black point of view. They are not only useless when African nations and leaders have to be defended against the aggression of the US and Europe, but some go a step further and are more dangerous by how they spread the racist lies of the West. I guess they only view racism as when someone stands in a crowded place and shouts the "N" word. I did not expect them to be able to evaluate issues from an African point of view, especially as most of them could not even get it right on Venezuela during the coup attempt in 2002. For all the distrust they have of their governments, they are more than ready to believe those same governments when they attack African leaders and nations. A prime example, Haiti. Most of the antiwar and anti-Bush media were quiet on that issue. They did not see the US, France and Canada having a major role in illegally forcing the first democratically elected President of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide out of office and into exile. (Read: The Ouster of Democracy by Gary Younge, March 2004) White liberals who just did not get it can read articles on the Haitian Coup at africaspeaks.com. Some Whites understood the issues in part, but they were not so moved as to sustain a campaign for the return of Jean-Bertrand Aristide as the legitimate, democratically elected president of Haiti, who commands the support of the majority of Haitians along with wide support from Black Africans abroad. Next on the list is Zimbabwe. The US and Britain have been involved in an effort to oust the democratically elected leader of Zimbabwe, President Robert Mugabe, ever since he turned away from the intangible and unjust IMF and World Bank policies and started reclaiming illegally obtained land from White settlers for redistribution to Black Zimbaweans. They were not against Mugabe for reports of human rights abuses, as in the past, when such reports surfaced, they were still praising Zimbabwe under President Robert Mugabe as a model country in Africa. For more information, although long, this article is worth reading: Zimbabwe Under Siege by Gregory Elich. There is a comprehensive list of additional articles for further reading on raceandhistory.com. Next on the list is Somalia. The US and Ethiopia illegally invaded Somalia and ousted the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) which had popular support. The ICU brought a measure of stability to Somalia for the first time in sixteen years. In the article "A New War in Africa" Gwynne Dyer explains: "This is a war founded on a misconception and driven by paranoid fantasies. The misconception was the US government's belief that the Islamic Courts, local religious authorities backed by merchants in Mogadishu who wanted someone to curb the warlords, punish thieves, and enforce contracts, were just a cover for al-Qaeda. So the US instead backed the warlords who were making Somalis' lives a misery. American support is the kiss of death in Somalia, so the warlords were finally dislodged in Mogadishu last June by an uprising led by the UIC and supported by most of the population." Visit africaspeaks.com for more on the crisis in Somalia. Although some Whites do take the time to examine issues from an African point of view, they are too few and far between. If you doubt me, simply check your favorite antiwar, anti-Bush, anti-imperialism websites and you will see the absence of pro-African commentaries on any or all of these issues. (Even the considerably rated Comedy Central's "Today Show" hosted by John Stewart lacks substance in dealing with African issues.) To informed Africans, most of these so-called liberal Whites are not liberal at all. White Supremacy still comes first to them and has to be first addressed before they can see the truth from a Black perspective. We understand the circumstances that keep many from researching issues properly and not easily breaking away from colonial institutions and neocolonial policies. Many are struggling with bread and butter issues on a daily basis and do not yet appreciate why they MUST make time for informing themselves. Understanding the issues is also about addressing poverty. Those with the means and especially those involved in the media have no excuse for misleading many. Martin Luther King saw the problem with White liberals and in his letter from the Birmingham jail he wrote: "...First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection." Email: zimbabwecrisis@yahoo.com Visit: Zimbabwe Watch Zimbabwe: Lies, lies, damn lies: British media exposed Posted: Friday, March 23, 2007 By Peter Mavunga March 23, 2007 ZIMBABWE The British media has turned peddling lies about Zimbabwe into a fine art. That they hate the country's leadership with a vengeance is well known. What is questionable is their orchestrated campaign based on twisted facts, lies and damn lies to suit their own ends. I take ITV's main evening news story a fortnight ago as a tiny but interesting example. The bulletin was dominated by an "exclusive" by Martin Geisler who purported to have entered the country to report under cover despite the current ban on British journalists in Zimbabwe. He entered the country clandestinely to report a demonstration in Harare against the Zimbabwe Government's alleged poor human rights record and the country's deteriorating economic conditions. What is interesting is that the report gives the impression that the demonstration that was the subject of his report was only one of many that are taking place everyday throughout the country. He also does what he can to create the impression that Zimbabwe is a police state where people are not free. For dramatic effect, the reporter lowers his voice as he tells his viewers during a car ride that he is en route to a secret hideout where some of the protesters who he intends to interview are waiting for him. Television viewers are shown a handful of protesters who were never the less portrayed as "the whole country" rising up against the Government. Views are told these protesters, who have "nothing to lose" in Mugabe's Zimbabwe, have decided: "Enough is enough" and are now prepared to stop at nothing to bring about change. Indeed we are shown a man taking a piece of concrete from the ground which he lifts up and drops in front of him on the tarmac. To us viewers, this is hardly the actions of a nation in revolt. It is very small beer compared to the poll tax riots we witnessed in the dying days of Mrs Thatcher's government. But the ITV news report wants us to believe a revolution is in the making. And the reporter chooses his interviewees very carefully to convey his message. "You think I am alive?" one so-called protester asks him rhetorically. "I am already dead." This is ITV's idea of objective reporting. It is meant to support the contention that the people of Zimbabwe are so oppressed that they feel they are already dead or that they feel they have nothing to live for and that violence to achieve change is the only viable solution to their plight. The general impression given is that Zimbabweans are now very angry about their country that they see disintegrating before their eyes owing to an economic meltdown with 1 700 percent inflation and no infrastructure to talk about and they see violence as the only answer. So central is this report to ITV's news schedule that it is reported twice on Thursday 1 March 2007, first in the early evening bulletin at 6 o'clock, then again in the main evening news at 10.30pm. It is a clever piece of British propaganda reported without any reference to when the demonstration took place. Instead, the reporter tells his viewers "these protests are happening everyday" and he seems to enjoy the bit when he adds that all the people of Zimbabwe including the police, the army and all — are fed up. The truth is that the demonstration had occurred a week earlier specifically to coincide with certain events taking place in Western capitals. To have reported it as a single, isolated event would not have fitted into the British grand design. It had to be presented as an everyday occurrence even though it was patently untrue. What was also curious was the fact that the few people who spoke to the reporter, including Henry Olonga, did so in full view of the camera without attempting to hide their identity. Not that I did not want to see their faces. I was just confused that the reporter had earlier lowered his voice when talking about his secret rendezvous with the people concerned leaving the impression this was all done hush hush. It was of course all acting, designed to create an impression of impending danger both to himself and to the people he was going to meet. The fact that these protesters were happy to be interviewed on record suggests it was the reporter's ploy to create the impression that Zimbabwe was a dangerous place to be where, as he put it: "you always feel you are being watched and you never know who is behind you." Another contributor to Giesler's report was Fred Muleya, now based in the UK. He was eager to confirm what his interviewer wanted to hear. An example of this was Giesler's leading question enquiring if Muleya did not believe such demonstrations were likely to get bigger? The interviewer sounded a trifle disappointed that the crowd of protesters was not larger but he needed not worry. Muleya was only too pleased to confirm that in his view the people of Zimbabwe had had enough and it was his hope and belief that these protests "will get bigger". This prime time news UK style is a lot of twaddle in my book both in presentation and content. Yet for the innocent eyes and ears of the British public who are bombarded with such anti-Zimbabwe material everyday, it must have been very difficult to disbelieve such a report presented as it was in all seriousness by an experienced journalist through one of the main news channels in the land. Demonstrations such as was reported on 1 March do not happen everyday in Zimbabwe. I know because if they did they would be reported everyday. I keep a close eye on these things. When I visited the country for three to four weeks at a time as I sometimes do, I did not witness these demonstrations taking place everyday. Only in November 2006, my friends were visiting the country and they came back to report no such demonstrations taking place on a daily basis. My own family were in Harare from the end of December to mid January this year but they too reported no demonstrations taking place on a daily basis. In compiling this article, I spoke to a number of people in Zimbabwe who knew nothing of demonstrations taking place everyday as Giesler would want us to believe. It is clear therefore that the ITV's main report on March 1 was a pack of twisted facts, very misleading in the extreme. The demonstration and biased reporting that went with it were two sides of an orchestrated campaign with twin objectives. First, it was to perpetuate the propaganda against the government of Zimbabwe for committing the cardinal sin of attempting to tackle the unequal land distribution created by the minority settler regime. Secondly and more to the point, these were part of an annual ritual designed to facilitate the extension of sanctions against Zimbabwe. The demonstration this year, as was a similar one last year, was orchestrated as a means to provide the IMF and the European Union with the evidence to justify continuing their sanctions against Zimbabwe. They needed fresh evidence that things were bad in Zimbabwe. Television images of protesters in the streets, however contrived, did the trick and Western governments needed nothing else to help them decide to extend or not to extend the sanctions. And decide they did. My point is that their decision was based on lies, damn lies that stank to the core. Email: zimbabwecrisis@yahoo.com Visit: Zimbabwe Watch Zimbabwe: Mugabe Gets the Milosevic Treatment Posted: Friday, March 23, 2007 By Stephen Gowans March 23, 2007 Arthur Mutambara, the leader of one faction of Zimbabwe's main opposition party, the MDC, and one of the principals in the Save Zimbabwe Campaign that's at the centre of a storm of controversy over the Mugabe government's crackdown on opposition, boasted a year ago that he was "going to remove Robert Mugabe, I promise you, with every tool at my disposal." (1) Educated at Oxford, the former management consultant with McKinsey & Co. was asked in early 2006 whether "his plans might include a Ukrainian-style mass mobilization of opponents of Mugabe's regime." (2) "We're going to use every tool we can get to dislodge this regime," he replied. "We're not going to rule out or in anything – the sky's the limit." (3) Last year Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of an opposing MDC faction, and eight of his colleagues, were thrown out of Zambia after attending a meeting arranged by the US ambassador to Zimbabwe, Christopher Dell, with representatives of Freedom House, a US ruling class organization that promotes regime change in countries that aren't sufficiently committed to free markets, free trade and free enterprise. (4) Funded by the billionaire speculator George Soros, USAID, the US State Department and the US Congress's National Endowment for Democracy (whose mission has been summed up as doing overtly what the CIA used to do covertly), Freedom House champions the rights of journalists, union leaders and democracy activists to organize openly to bring down governments whose economic policies are against the profit-making interests of US bankers, investors and corporations. Headed by Wall St. investment banker Peter Ackerman, who produced a 2002 documentary, Bringing Down a Dictator, a follow-up to A Force More Powerful, which celebrates the ouster of Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, Freedom House features a rogues' gallery of US ruling class activists on its board of directors: Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Otto Reich, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Zbigniew Brzezinski and Steve Forbes, among others. The campaign to replace Mugabe with the neo-liberal standard bearers of the MDC is rotten with connections to the overthrow of Milosevic. Dell, the US ambassador, prides himself on being one of the architects of Milosevic's ouster. (5) He held a senior diplomatic post in Kosovo when Milosevic was driven out of office in a US-UK engineered uprising. Dell's mission, it would seem, is to be as provocative as possible, sparing no effort to tarnish the image of the Mugabe government. In early November 2005, Dell declared that "neither drought nor sanctions are at the root of Zimbabwe's decline," an implausible conclusion given that drought has impaired economic performance in neighboring countries, and that sanctions bar Zimbabwe from access to economic and humanitarian aid, while disrupting trade and investment. "The Zimbabwe government's own gross mismanagement of the economy and its corrupt rule has brought on the crisis," Dell charged. (6) When not disparaging Mugabe's government, Dell can be counted on to be doling out largesse to the opposition (US$1 million, according to one source, to get the Save Zimbabwe Campaign off the ground earlier this year.) (7) Responding to Dell's call for the opposition to unite, Mutambara has declared his new unity of purpose with MDC opponent, Tsvangirai. "Our core business," he announced, after violent clashes with the police earlier this month, "is to drive Mugabe out of town. There is no going back. We are working together against Robert Mugabe and his surrogates." (8) While Mutambara is certainly working with Tsvangirai to drive Mugabe out of town, what he doesn't explain is what he wants to replace Mugabe with. The opposition, and the powerful Western governments that back it, make it seem as if they're offended by Mugabe's qualities as a leader, not his policies, and that their aim is to restore good governance, not to impose their own program on Zimbabwe. We should be clear about what the MDC is and what its policies are. While the word "democratic" in the opposition's Movement for Democratic Change moniker evokes pleasant feelings, the party's policies are rooted in the neo-liberal ideology of the Western ruling class. That is, the party's policies are hardly democratic. The MDC favors economic "liberalization", privatization and a return to the glacial-paced willing buyer/willing seller land-redistribution regimen – a status quo ante-friendly policy that would limit the state's ability to redistribute land to only tracts purchased from white farmers who are willing to sell. Compare that to the Zanu-PF government's direction. Mugabe's government is hardly socialist, but it has implemented social democratic policies that elevate the public interest at least a few notches above the basement level position it occupies under the neo-liberal tyranny favored by the MDC. A Mutambara or Tsvangirai government would jettison policies that demand something from foreign investors in return for doing business in Zimbabwe. Foreign banks, for example, are required to invest 40 percent of their profits in Zimbabwe government bonds. (9) What's more, the MDC leaders would almost certainly end the Mugabe government's policy of favoring foreign investors who partner with local investors to promote indigenous economic development. And Zimbabwe's state-owned enterprises would be sold off to the highest bidder. Moreover, the land redistribution program would be effectively shelved, delaying indefinitely the achievement of one of the principal goals of Zimbabwe's national liberation struggle – reversing the plunder of the indigenous population's land by white settlers. Mugabe, it is sometimes grudgingly admitted in the Western press, is a hero in rural parts of southern Africa for his role in spearheading land reform, something other south African governments have lacked the courage to pursue vigorously. South African president Thabo Mbeki's reluctance to join in the collective excoriation of Mugabe is often attributed to "respect for Mr. Mugabe as a revolutionary hero (he led the fight that ended white rule in Zimbabwe in 1980, and was a key opponent of apartheid) and because the issue of white ownership of land in South African is also sensitive." (10) Contrast respect for Mugabe with the thin layer of support the US-backed Save Zimbabwe Campaign has been able to muster. It "does not yet have widespread grassroots support," (11) but it does have the overwhelming backing of the US, the UK, the Western media and US ruling class regime change organizations, like Freedom House. Is it any surprise that Zanu-PF regards the controversy swirling around its crackdown on the opposition's latest provocation as an attempt by an oppressor to return to power by proxy through the MDC? 1. Times Online March 5, 2006. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. The Sunday Mail, February 5, 2006. 5. The Herald, October 21, 2005. 6. The Herald, November 7, 2005. 7. The Herald, March 14, 2007. 8. The Observer, March 18, 2007. 9. The Observer, January 28, 2007. 10. The Globe and Mail, March 22, 2007. 11. Ibid. Stephen Gowans's Blog Email: zimbabwecrisis@yahoo.com Visit: Zimbabwe Watch What's Red, White And Blue With Black Eye? Posted: Thursday, March 22, 2007 ¤ Zimbabwe Watch ¤ Hotbed for Terrorists: Ethiopia or Somalia? ¤ Ungovernable Somalia and Collision of Hegemonic Interests ¤ What's Red, White And Blue With Black Eye? ¤ "Damned Proud" of Dead Arab Women & Children ¤ Dazzling new images reveal the 'impossible' on the Sun ¤ The Media's Castration During the Bush Presidency ¤ Employee Warning Letter ¤ The Upcoming Iraq War Funding Bill ¤ Shssh! Don't Tell Americans How We Treat 'Enemy Combatants' ¤ Breathing Lessons ¤ Is There an Executive Privilege to Lie? ¤ Mission Accomplished: The American gun is ¤ UN chief shaken by Baghdad explosion ¤ 27kg of opium in a kitchen ¤ FBI Violations May Number 3,000, Official Says ¤ Defense spending soars to highest levels since World War II ¤ Oil-Rich Kirkuk at the Melting Point ¤ Toxic Waste in the Sub-Prime Market ¤ The Forbidden C-Word Ungovernable Somalia and Collision of Hegemonic Interests Posted: Thursday, March 22, 2007 Beneath the veneer of their mutual strategic interest highlighted by their recent military cooperation against the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) there is an intriguing political undercurrent that is rapidly gathering momentum as Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and the leadership of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) continue their "business as usual" approach and implement a successive, haphazard set of initiatives that proven to add fuel to inter-clan deadly polarization and keep Somalia in perpetual chaos. The reckless invasion of the residence of an influential clan leader as he met with other clan elders and the former president of the Transitional National Government is but one such example. The Ethiopian/US invasion prematurely ended a delicate peace process, six months of law and order, and threw Mogadishu back into that all too familiar vacuum of nihilism. Today, motors and artilleries are routinely fired from all directions; assassinations-- including high profile ones-- became part of the daily rituals; robbery and rape became rampant, and a full-fledged insurgency is underway. The latter was ignited by the Ethiopian occupation which is seen by the majority of Somalis as that country's centuries-old hegemonic aspiration coming to fruition. Not only because the TFG Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister recently insinuated annexation enthusiastically, but because of the reports of systematic establishment of new "facts on the ground" that continues to settle thousands of Ethiopian families in various regions such as "Somaliland" and "Puntland" that could, in due course, make annexation of Somalia a tantalizing option. Full Article : asiantribune.com Free Trade Enslaving Poor Countries Posted: Thursday, March 22, 2007 LONDON - The new free trade agreements being signed up between rich and poor countries are proving far more damaging to the poor than anything envisaged within WTO talks, Oxfam said in a report Tuesday. Full Article : commondreams.org Soldiers stoned and burned in Mogadishu Posted: Thursday, March 22, 2007 Somali insurgents dragged the bodies of several soldiers through Mogadishu's streets yesterday before setting them alight during battles with government and Ethiopian troops. Full Article : guardian.co.uk Visit: Somalia's Crisis American's rendition may have broken international, U.S. laws Posted: Thursday, March 22, 2007 NAIROBI, Kenya -- American diplomats on Wednesday paid their first visit to an American who was detained five weeks ago by Ethiopian authorities after a middle-of-the-night secret transfer from Kenya and said he was in good health. But several U.S. legal experts said American officials who questioned Meshal while he was in Kenya may have violated U.S. law as well as international conventions that ban torture and protect refugees who escape to a neighboring country. "It's a very serious concern," said Jonathan Hafetz of the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law. Hafetz is providing legal assistance to Meshal's family in New Jersey. FBI agents who interviewed Meshal in Nairobi in early February believed he was a "jihadist" who'd trained in al-Qaida camps in Somalia, according to an internal U.S. government e-mail that was read to McClatchy Newspapers by officials at two different U.S. agencies. But the agents didn't have enough evidence to charge him with a crime if he returned to the United States. They left him in the custody of Kenyan authorities, who secretly deported him to Somalia on Feb. 10. Full Article : bradenton.com MDC's civil disobedience tactics cheap publicity stunt Posted: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 African Nations Need New Approach to Zimbabwe African nations have been silent too long while Zimbabwe slides into economic ruin. In this hour of contrived turmoil in Zimbabwe it is time for decisive words and actions. African nations need to tell Tony Blair, the rest of Europe and the U.S. that they would not be dictated to. Tony Blair is leaving office soon and would like to force the democratically elected President of Zimbabwe out of office before he himself leaves office. African nations need to send an unambiguous message to the 'West' that they are not buying the European and White settlers propaganda and that they want all sanctions lifted on Zimbabwe. These sanctions have mostly affected the ordinary people in Zimbabwe Zimbabwe: MDC's civil disobedience tactics cheap publicity stunt While the latest demonstrations in Zimbabwe led by MDC faction leader Morgan Tsvangirai have achieved absolutely nothing, on the other hand they exposed a lot. The obvious thing is that the MDC was responding to pressure from Britain and the United States to destabilise Zimbabwe because their masters have invested a lot of time and money in the opposition over the past eight years only to realise that they have failed to unseat the Government. British Prime Minister Tony Blair's legacy in relation to the African continent will mainly be defined by whether or not he was able to force an illegal racist regime change in Zimbabwe, and his sidekick, United States President George W. Bush, is looking for any victory on foreign policy to shift focus away from the Iraq debacle. Zimbabwe: When Others Seek to Overthrow the State Funny the way the recent case of supposed human rights abuses in Zimbabwe attracts great interest in the Western media, while other similar cases hardly or do not get noticed in this same media. Relations between the UK/US soured when Zimbabwe sent troops, together with Namibia and Angola, to defend the Democratic Republique of Congo against a second invasion by Rwanda and Uganda, friends of the US and the UK. (Zimbabwe Under Siege by Dr. Simbi Mubako) When the Mugabe government intercepted arms and a plane load of terrorists (How New Africa Made Fools of the White Mischief-makers, August 2004) sponsored by Britain and the US (Pentagon link to Guinea Coup Plot, September 2004) on their way to violently kill Africans in an attempt to overthrow another oil rich African government, where was the media's reporting in favor of Mugabe's intervention of what would have been more UK/US human rights abuses? Now the US & UK are strangling Zimbabwe and its people. Who, therefore, is cruel? ¤ Iraqis tormented by the invasion of the infidels ¤ Calling time out on UN sanctions ¤ Toll in Pakistan tribal clashes surpasses 100 ¤ Bombings triple in Afghanistan in 2006 ¤ Thinking about Foreign Policy ¤ A U.S. Army Pipe Dream ¤ Poor Iraq. First The Lies and Now, Even Worse: More Help ¤ Zambia seeks new Zimbabwe approach ¤ Baghdad Burning ¤ THE ARCHITECTS OF WAR: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? ¤ CJ suspension: Thousands take to the streets in Pak ¤ US signals support for palace coup to remove Mugabe ¤ Hillary 'Big Sister' Video Shills Neolib Obama ¤ After 4 years: Iraqi Resistance Indicators..Up and Up . Rumsfeld's Metrics..Wet. Hotbed for Terrorists: Ethiopia or Somalia? Posted: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 Africans, especially Somalis, stood by stunned by the manner with which international law was violated, trampled on and discarded by the US-backed Ethiopian war of aggression and invasion against Somalia. Why was the international community as deafeningly silent as innocent Somalis were bombed by US and Ethiopian bombers? Why was there no public outrage as innocent men, women and children were massacred in cold blood by the invading Ethiopian forces and labeled "extremists", "Islamists" etc. etc.? Have we reached the point where human lives no longer merit our concern and that by simply labeling populations as "extremists", "Islamists", "jihadists", etc. etc. that we can look the other way as thousands are massacred in front of our eyes and not care. Do we believe that we are somehow absolved of any responsibility in the carnage perpetuated under the auspices of the "global war on terrorism"? It is high time that we claimed humanity back! Full Article : aljazeerah.info Visit: Somalia's Crisis Zimbabwe: When Others Seek to Overthrow the State Posted: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 When Others Seek to Overthrow the State, What Must Be the State Response? Analysis by Ghifari al Mukhtar March 21, 2007 Funny the way the recent case of supposed human rights abuses in Zimbabwe attracts great interest in the Western media, while other similar cases hardly or do not get noticed in this same media. Relations between the UK/US soured when Zimbabwe sent troops, together with Namibia and Angola, to defend the Democratic Republique of Congo against a second invasion by Rwanda and Uganda, friends of the US and the UK. (Zimbabwe Under Siege by Dr. Simbi Mubako) When the Mugabe government intercepted arms and a plane load of terrorists (How New Africa Made Fools of the White Mischief-makers, August 2004) sponsored by Britain and the US (Pentagon link to Guinea Coup Plot, September 2004) on their way to violently kill Africans in an attempt to overthrow another oil rich African government, where was the media's reporting in favor of Mugabe's intervention of what would have been more UK/US human rights abuses? Now the US & UK are strangling Zimbabwe and its people. Who, therefore, is cruel? Hold strong and firm; for if Mugabe and Zimbabwe were to give room then we are finished as a continent, as a people and as all those seeking to repulse recolonization throughout the world. There are paradoxes that seem divine rather than a willful strategy on the one hand. How they, the resisters, are surrounded with stooges, "NGO's", coward states, church and evangelical groups and if suppressed populations, if not deliberate in their opposition, they are enormously ignorant, and in the Black and Brown case, hating themselves for the color they are. If Africa lets Mugabe slip, then shall we say: good bye Africa! Like him or not, the scene in Zimbabwe is either it's Africa or it's Europe, yet we must also watch out for their marauding cousins', the "US & Israel", with their chisel and hammer diplomacy. It is the stereotype media performance we fail to wise up to. Mugabe is as ironic as Venezuela's Chavez, as Iran's Ahmadinejad, as Kim of Korea, Hizbollah in Lebanon and the Hamas of Palestine. Just pull out your maps and look at the geography, their resources (fullness), their original colors. Indeed, they are so strategic it's as if God placed this resistance (leadership) per region, as the check and balance from the violent dominance of an "outsider". A marauder bearing disguised gifts, often resulting in misery, slavery and racist evangelical democracy as the only medicine for our perceived ills. Ills, if at all there are, were created and perpetuated by the marauders' themselves in their laboratories within Wall Street, the Vatican, Chatham House and NATO. The debase, vicious, glutinous White West, that exchanges weapons for war, disunity, chaos and poverty, offer in their hollow speeches peace, development, democracy and aid that bind us to nowhere but to perpetual troubles. We need no more of your expired consultants, no more of the devil's advice, no Bono aid and to hell with the media. This hypocrisy stinks. Mugabe was never commended for his sole prevention of what would have been mass-murder, hatched and orchestrated solely in the West. Instead he is falsely accused of killing -- allegations typical of the White West toward noncompliant state leaders. On the question of public disorder and violence with a virtual attempt to overthrow legitimate governments - this was okayed in Georgia, in Tiananmen Square and Tibet in China; Caracas, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. The facts are there, the West has a track record of human rights abuses that is undisputable, particularly the critics of Robert Mugabe. Not forgetting history, just look at Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Haiti and the U.S. prison and justice system. Lets not compare, lest Mugabe will come out looking immaculately pious. In fact he isn't, he is a warrior that wrestled his nation from the jaws of colonialism's most barbaric and manipulative empires. Mugabe must be firm and should treat those seeking western-type regime changes as no less than criminals, charged with terrorism, anarchy and sedition. In Britain and the US, peaceful demonstrators are being arrested, charged, manhandled, and intimidated through government spying for staging demonstrations against a corrupt president and his lying poodle to stop WAR. Is Mugabe waginig war? Certainly not. He is defending his country, leading Africa's defence. Email: zimbabwecrisis@yahoo.com Visit: Zimbabwe Watch African Nations Need New Approach to Zimbabwe Posted: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 By Ayinde rastafaritimes@yahoo.com March 21, 2007 African nations have been silent too long while Zimbabwe slides into economic ruin. In this hour of contrived turmoil in Zimbabwe it is time for decisive words and actions. African nations need to tell Tony Blair, the rest of Europe and the U.S. that they would not be dictated to. Tony Blair is leaving office soon and would like to force the democratically elected President of Zimbabwe out of office before he himself leaves office. African nations need to send an unambiguous message to the 'West' that they are not buying the European and White settlers propaganda and that they want all sanctions lifted on Zimbabwe. These sanctions have mostly affected the ordinary people in Zimbabwe (See: The MDC Must Renounce the Sanctions by Tadios Chisango). They should boldly declare that African nations are not colonies of the U.S. and Britain, and would not be pressured to stand against the democratically elected President of Zimbabwe who commands the majority support in Zimbabwe. African nations should also call on the opposition in Zimbabwe to renounce violence and to desist from using violence in Zimbabwe. If they are resorting to breaking the laws and using violence then the government and the police are right to use brute force to stop such activities. Let us see how many African leaders have the courage to stand for freedom instead of making backdoor deals with Tony Blair and the U.S. for aid in exchange for their conscience. Africans globally are watching... It is your move now. Email: zimbabwecrisis@yahoo.com Visit: Zimbabwe Watch Zimbabwe: MDC's civil disobedience tactics cheap publicity stunt Posted: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 By Obi Egbuna March 21, 2007 ZIMBABWE While the latest demonstrations in Zimbabwe led by MDC faction leader Morgan Tsvangirai have achieved absolutely nothing, on the other hand they exposed a lot. The obvious thing is that the MDC was responding to pressure from Britain and the United States to destabilise Zimbabwe because their masters have invested a lot of time and money in the opposition over the past eight years only to realise that they have failed to unseat the Government. British Prime Minister Tony Blair's legacy in relation to the African continent will mainly be defined by whether or not he was able to force an illegal racist regime change in Zimbabwe, and his sidekick, United States President George W. Bush, is looking for any victory on foreign policy to shift focus away from the Iraq debacle. President Mugabe's two-word response – "Go hang" – to Western critics of his Government demonstrates to Africans worldwide that we at least have one head of state in Africa that does not toss and turn in bed all night worrying about validation by the imperialist powers. US Ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell has three main issues on his plate before Bush makes his exit from office. Firstly, he must do everything to make sure Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara reunite the MDC at all costs. Secondly, he will be corresponding with Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to exaggerate political violence in Zimbabwe and blame it all on Zanu-PF. Lastly, he will be working with the International Crisis Group to articulate why the Bush administration is justified in increasing sanctions on Zimbabwe. But Zimbabweans will not be fooled by Tsvangirai and MDC's so-called Save Zimbabwe Campaign and are too busy with their bread and butter issues. Thanks to his willingness to be the scapegoat Bush and Blair need to have on the ground in order to convince the entire world that by imposing sanctions they are responding to the wishes of the people. Tsvangirai and the MDC are too brainwashed to understand that using civil disobedience tactics when you are financed by the two most violent warmongers on the planet is at best a cheap publicity stunt. How dare a neocolonialist operation like the MDC try to use positive action as a strategy only a few days after the 50th anniversary celebration of Ghana's independence! This is an attempt by Tsvangirai to politically reinvent himself before Bush and Blair leave office. If he and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions' Wellington Chibebe fail at provoking confrontations with the police, even the Voice of America and BBC might ignore them. Besides, Trudy Stevenson, an MDC Member of Parliament, was severely beaten up by her own membership last year and also another MDC MP David Coltart publicly exposed that youth members in the MDC were planning to kill their director of security Peter Guhu a couple of years ago. This led to the spokesmen of both factions – Nelson Chamisa (for Tsvangirai) and Gabriel Chaibva (for Mutambara) – openly debating which faction was more violent. This means African organisations in the Diaspora should really do their homework and resist the temptation of grabbing a few headlines which they are guaranteed to receive if they blame President Mugabe and Zanu-PF for all political violence in Zimbabwe. Before his resignation from the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People as their president and CEO a few weeks ago, Bruce Gordon sent President Mugabe a letter expressing their concern over alleged police brutality against demonstrators, and, more recently, the executive director of Trans Africa Forum Nicole Lee emphasised the responsibility that Zimbabwe's Government had to protect the basic human rights of its citizens. These remarks have serious political implications. For starters, if they only issue public statements when the MDC and other opposition groups in their opinion are on the receiving end of violence in Zimbabwe, it means they are aligned with them politically or are strongly considering moving in that direction; and, most importantly, they have learned nothing from those who callously validated Mangosuthu Buthelezi in South Africa and Jonas Savimbi in Angola many years ago. The propaganda war being waged by the US and its European Union cohorts against Zimbabwe has forced Africans to arrive at one conclusion: Any organisation in our community which hasn't spoken out about the sanctions against Zimbabwe can keep their opinions to themselves. The concept of criticism is a dialectical exercise and some of us have become so intoxicated by our own critiques that we abandon the responsibility to defend a government and people who expect and deserve our solidarity as opposed to excuses to justify abandonment. The MDC is not a balloon but is definitely full of hot air and Tsvangirai has taken false promises to new unprecedented heights. Last year he promised his British and US sponsors a cold winter of discontent. When that failed, he then went to the United Kingdom and held a Press conference with Labour MP Kate Hoey urging United Nations intervention in Zimbabwe, only to see former Secretary-General Kofi Annan endorse President Mugabe's recommendation for former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa to mediate between Britain and Zimbabwe. The opposition paper called the Zimbabwean leaked a story last year that Tsvangirai was scheduled to be meeting with Botswana's President Festus Mogae which was to give the appearance he represented legitimate opposition in Zimbabwe, only to see Mogae open the Harare Agricultural Show last August and sign a new agreement of co-operation between the two governments reaffirm his support for the land reclamation programme in Zimbabwe and praise Zimbabwe for being its second biggest trade partner next to South Africa. At the beginning of the year, the Financial Gazette had an article entitled "Tsvangirai talks tough" in a rare occasion an opposition paper indirectly suggested he had more bark than bite. Tsvangirai and the MDC also seek to exploit the religious and spiritual tradition of his people to revive his dying support. Why else would these demonstrations attempt to incorporate a prayer? Why has Tsvangirai never rescheduled the meeting with the church leaders in Zimbabwe that were cancelled due to his father's death, where the topic of discussion was supposed to be an appeal for him to stop calling for the West to intensify the sanctions against his own people? Even though Tsvangirai's speeches and political thoughts lack substance and any real vision, his strength is in disguising himself. During his time in the ZCTU, he tried to convince forces outside Zimbabwe like the AFL-CIO, Congress of Black Trade Unionists and the US Deputy Assistant of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour Jeffrey Krila that President Mugabe and Zanu-PF were out of touch with the working class and only he was in touch with their aspirations. With the help of imperialist Press he is presently doing his absolute best to reappear as the Dalai Lama in Tibet, which is almost as amusing as when Savimbi wore fatigues to give the public appearance Unita was a guerilla movement and not a CIA-trained and financed group of mercenaries and assassins. The African community in the Diaspora has to make a distinction between examples of military repression and violence and vigilant efforts to defend sovereignty. The coups and assassinations that imperialist forces have orchestrated in every corner of the planet speak volumes because actions do speak louder than words. Last year marked the 40th anniversary of the overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah's government in Ghana and 2008 will mark the 25th anniversary of the assassination of Maurice Bishop in Grenada. The premature statements some of our organisations have been writing about Zimbabwe make you wonder: After all of these years, what have we truly learned? Under the guise of civil disobedience, Tsvangirai is seeking total anarchy and confusion. After the outcome of parliamentary elections in 2005, the MDC called for power outages countrywide as a way to show dissatisfaction with the results. The publicity that Tsvangirai and the MDC receive is contingent on how much chaos their demonstrations can stir up. This is what the Blair and Bush administrations expect and demand of them. The MDC will learn the hard way that in Zimbabwe, the people don't accept civilian neocolonialism and an alternative to military neocolonialism. While he is not shooting people in cold blood like his political twin Savimbi, the blood of every Zimbabwean who dies or starves courtesy of sanctions is on their hands. President Mugabe is known and respected worldwide for his defiance and strategic brilliance, therefore if he and Zanu-PF arrive at the conclusion that the MDC is threatening the national security of Zimbabwe, anything short of giving them unconditional support is compromising the future of the nation. Email: zimbabwecrisis@yahoo.com Visit: Zimbabwe Watch West can't preach human rights Posted: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 ¤ ZANU-PF Fights Back One thing opponents and supporters of Mugabe's government agree on is that the opposition is trying to oust the president (illegally and unconstitutionally if you acknowledge the plan isn't limited to victory at the polls.) So which came first? Attempts to overthrow Zimbabwe's ZANU-PF government, or the government's harsh crackdown on opposition? According to the Western media spin, the answer is the government's harsh crackdown on opposition. Mugabe's government is inherently authoritarian, greedy for power for power's sake, and willing do anything – from stealing elections to cracking skulls — to hang on to its privileged position. This is the typical slander leveled at the heads of governments the US and UK have trouble with, from Milosevic in his day, to Kim Jong Il, to Castro. ¤ Zimbabwe: West can't preach human rights ¤ Chavez offers US$100m aid package to Haiti Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has promised impoverished Haiti aid amounting to just under US$100 million to boost social and economic programmes, saying it was partially a thank-you gift linked to their shared history. ¤ The AIPAC Girl ¤ Understanding Empire: Hierarchy, Networks and Clients ¤ The United States Plans to STAY in Iraq ¤ War for no oil? ¤ Four Years And The Suspects Are Still At Large? ¤ The struggle for oil is not the struggle we are losing ¤ World 'ignoring Iraqi refugees' ¤ Blood and Pork ¤ Militarizing Africa ¤ Asian Development Bank sounds alarm on dollar ¤ Hail Israel Homage to Fear and Fawnin ¤ Four Years After the Invasion ¤ Latin America Has Moved On ¤ Woolmer's death 'treated as murder' ¤ This is not just matter of another defeat :: Pakistani Cricket Fiasco :: ¤ Blowback from Ohio's 2004 Stolen Election is Escalating ¤ Four Years and A Weak Punch Line Later, The Joke's On Us ¤ Fantasyland and a President Devoid of Reality ¤ Winning Afghan hearts and splitting hairs ¤ Peru ruin may lift veil on lost culture Zimbabwe: ZANU-PF Fights Back Posted: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 By Stephen Gowans Stephen Gowans's Blog March 20, 2007 One thing opponents and supporters of Mugabe's government agree on is that the opposition is trying to oust the president (illegally and unconstitutionally if you acknowledge the plan isn't limited to victory at the polls.) So which came first? Attempts to overthrow Zimbabwe's ZANU-PF government, or the government's harsh crackdown on opposition? According to the Western media spin, the answer is the government's harsh crackdown on opposition. Mugabe's government is inherently authoritarian, greedy for power for power's sake, and willing do anything – from stealing elections to cracking skulls — to hang on to its privileged position. This is the typical slander leveled at the heads of governments the US and UK have trouble with, from Milosevic in his day, to Kim Jong Il, to Castro. Another view is that the government's authoritarianism is an inevitable reaction to circumstances that are unfavorable to the attainment of its political (not its leaders' personal) goals. Mugabe's government came to power at the head of a movement that not only sought political independence, but aspired to reverse the historical theft of land by White settlers. That the opposition would be fierce and merciless – has been so – was inevitable. Reaction to the opposition, if the government and its anti-colonial agenda were to survive, would need to be equally fierce and merciless. At the core of the conflict is a clash of right against right: the right of White settlers to enjoy whatever benefits stolen land yields in profits and rent against the right of the original owners to reclaim their land. Allied to this is a broader struggle for economic independence, which sets the rights of investors and corporations abroad to profit from untrammeled access to Zimbabwe's labor, land and resources and the right of Zimbabweans to restrict access on their own terms to facilitate their own economic development. The dichotomy of personal versus political motivation as the basis for the actions of maligned governments recurs in debates over whether this or that leader or movement ought to be supported or reviled. The personal view says that all leaders are corrupt, chase after personal glory, power and wealth, and dishonestly manipulate the people they profess to champion. The political view doesn't deny the personal view as a possibility, but holds that the behavior of leaders is constrained by political goals. "Even George Bush who rigs elections and manipulates news in order to stay in office and who clearly enjoys being 'the War President,' wants the presidency in order to carry out a particular program with messianic fervor," points out Richard Levins. "He would never protect the environment, provide healthcare, guarantee universal free education, or separate church and state, just to stay in office." ("Progressive Cuba Bashing," Socialism and Democracy, Vol. 19, No. 1, March 2005.) Mugabe is sometimes criticized for being pushed into accelerating land reform by a restive population impatient with the glacial pace of redistribution allowed under the Lancaster House agreement. His detractors allege, implausibly, that he has no real commitment to land reforms. He only does what's necessary to stay in power. If we accept this as true, then we're saying that the behavior of the government is constrained by one of the original goals of the liberation movement (land reform) and that the personal view is irrelevant. No matter what the motivations of the government's leaders, the course the government follows is conditioned by the goals of the larger movement of national liberation. There's no question Mugabe reacted harshly to recent provocations by factions of the MDC, or that his government was deliberately provoked. But the germane question isn't whether beating Morgan Tsvangirai over the head was too much, but whether the ban on political rallies in Harare, which the opposition deliberately violated, is justified. That depends on whose side you're on, and whether you think Tsvangirai and his associates are simply earnest citizens trying to freely express their views or are proxies for imperialist governments bent on establishing (restoring in Britain's case) hegemony over Zimbabwe. There's no question either that Mugabe's government is in a precarious position. The economy is in a shambles, due in part to drought, to the disruptions caused by land reform, and to sanctions. White farmers want Mugabe gone (to slow land redistribution, or to stop it altogether), London and Washington want him gone (to ensure neo-liberal "reforms" are implemented), and it's likely that some members of his own party also want him to step down. On top of acting to sabotage Zimbabwe economically through sanctions, London and Washington have been funneling financial, diplomatic and organizational assistance to groups and individuals who are committed to bringing about a color revolution (i.e., extra-constitutional regime change) in Zimbabwe. That includes Tsvangirai and the MDC factions, among others. The timing of the MDC rally was suspicious (it coincided with the opening of the latest session of the UN Human Rights Council.) Its depiction as a prayer meeting is flagrantly disingenuous. Those of an unprejudiced mind will recognize it for what it was: a political rally, held in already volatile conditions, whose outcome would either be insurrection or a crackdown that could be used to call for tougher sanctions, even intervention. For the Mugabe government, the options are two-fold: Capitulate (and surrender any chance of maintaining what independence Zimbabwe has managed to secure at considerable cost) or fight back. Some people might deplore the methods used, but considering the actions and objectives of the opposition – and what's at stake – the crackdown has been both measured and necessary. Email: zimbabwecrisis@yahoo.com Visit: Zimbabwe Watch Chavez offers US$100m aid package to Haiti Posted: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has promised impoverished Haiti aid amounting to just under US$100 million to boost social and economic programmes, saying it was partially a thank-you gift linked to their shared history. Haiti, then ruled by president Alexandre Petion, helped his country secure independence from Spain in 1817, said Chavez, offering "weapons, men and resources". "It is here in Haiti that a group of revolutionaries, among them Francisco de Miranda, waved the Venezuelan flag for the first time," he said during a joint news conference with Haitian president Rene Preval, at the presidential palace. Giving back "By helping Haiti today, we are only giving back a small part of what we owe to this country," said Chavez. "It's just a start," he stated. Full Article : jamaica-gleaner.com Zimbabwe: West can't preach human rights Posted: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 By Reason Wafawarova March 20, 2007 ZIMBABWE THE launch of the long-promised "defiance campaign" by the fractious MDC and its allies has, understandably, ignited debate on the political processes in Zimbabwe. Whatever the merits or demerits of one's argument, it has to start from the realisation that the opposition launched a defiance campaign aimed at toppling the Government. What then ensues is debate centering on the wisdom and acceptability of the strategy adopted and favoured by the opposition as well as the tactics adopted and effected by the Government as represented by its police force. There are few pertinent questions to be pursued in this debate and these questions are centred on law and politics. If one were to pursue questions related to law and maybe to establish the relevant chronology of such questions then there might be need to start with the idea of a "defiance" campaign. A defiance campaign is different from protest and this is very important if one wants to contextualise what is happening within the confines of legality both at municipal or international law. Defiance by definition is "daring or antagonistic resistance to authority . . ." according to The Macquarie Dictionary and protest is defined as "an expression or declaration of objection or disapproval". It is common knowledge that both Arthur Mutambara and Morgan Tsvangirai, as leaders of the two factions of the MDC, have openly declared an official position to preside over a "defiance campaign" and they have not ignored the illegality of such a campaign. Mutambara was quoted as saying following the law would be akin to allowing the Government to tell the opposition how to conduct its struggle while Tsvangirai is on record saying the Public Order and Security Act was there "to be broken." In the context of defiance, the statements from these opposition leaders are in line but there is the question of the legal legitimacy of taking up such a position. Needless to say, at municipal law, that is Zimbabwean domestic law, such a resolve is outlawed as plain rebellion if not treason. At international law, there is the problem of how to balance the doctrine of sovereignty and non-interference with individual human rights such as association, expression, affiliation and conscience. While the Bill of Rights provides for a protection of all these rights, domestic law tends to determine such things as the legality and acceptability of what one associates with, of what one expresses themselves about, of what one affiliates themselves with and what one subscribes their conscience to. To this end these human rights tend to lose their absolute status and to assume a regulated form with what respective governments and people view as acceptable limitations. Before taking any position on the legality and acceptability of what the opposition has done or has resolved to do, let us take a look at the State's response. Firstly, we are told there was a rally that turned violent when the opposition's "Democratic Resistance Commit-tees" clashed with police and there are reports of casualties on the police side. The police responded by evoking a temporary ban on political rallies in specific areas of the capital. They used the powers bestowed on them by the supreme law of Zimbabwe, the national Constitution. The ban was ignored as the opposition vowed to defy it and proceed with its plans, with or without the permission or blessing of the police. The opposition went ahead with the planned rallies, this time using some church leaders as a front. The police moved in and deployed details to seal off the rally venue and some of the invited people turned up for the rally. An argument ensued between the police and the leaders of the opposition and the crowd got excited if not incited. The police rounded up the leadership and ferried it to a police station while leaving a smaller and weaker deployment behind. The crowd and the remaining police officers clashed and one person was shot dead while opposition supporters assaulted several police officers. The crowd was in a confrontational mood and the police were perhaps in a retaliatory mood following the assaults. There were reports that the arrested were beaten in police custody while police maintain they only used the force necessary to effect arrest on those resisting arrest. Again we will not take a position on the legality and acceptability of the police action for now, but we will do that later. Now, the assaults and the shooting were all taken within the context of a defiance campaign until news filtered that the alleged beatings of those arrested included one of the faction leaders, Morgan Tsvangirai. The US, Britain and New Zealand quickly issued statements condemning the alleged beatings; threats and ultimatums were also issued against the Government in general and President Mugabe in particular. British premier, Tony Blair described the situation as "truly tragic" and the Government concurred only for the reasons that it was Tony Blair's tragedy of losing the plot to topple a democratically elected government. President Mugabe responded saying if the West was going to look the other way when the victims of political violence are perceived to be pro-Government and only cry foul for those from the opposition, then they (the West) could "go hang". Now the political questions to be raised here would include the question of the West's political interests in the affairs of Zimbabwe. Who is best placed to serve those interests? The other question is the Government's desire to safeguard its mandate and to protect the national interest. Interest accruing from the gains of the Second Chimurenga, which was a 14-year war of attrition against a conventional force powered by Ian Smith and the apartheid South Africa regime. Zanu-PF sees in the West, an attempt by the erstwhile oppressor to return by proxy through the MDC which is distrusted by the larger rural populace that bore the brunt of the struggle. On the other hand, the West has resolved to topple President Mugabe for alleged bad governance. Part of this includes the Government's decision to compulsorily acquire farms from white commercial farmers for redistribution to landless black peasants. The land reform programme saw the EU, US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand slapping ruinous sanctions on Zimbabwe. The Western interest in the MDC has not received the support of African governments. In fact, the MDC and its Western backers have openly expressed frustration with the African Union in general and South Africa in particular for what they perceive as their open support for the Government. The same Western alliance was in Vietnam in the 1960s and 70s pursuing its ideological interests. It had a lot of bad things to say about the Vietnamese regime. The alliance is in Iraq where it again talked itself "right" saying bad things about the Baath regime. It also talked "right" about itself, vilifying the USSR, and got it all wrong when it declared the "end of history" after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989. It again said trash about China's human rights record but again got it wrong, as it now needs China more than China needs it. The point here is the Zimbabwean situation falls in the context of Western battles for imperial authority and supreme control of the world system. The legitimacy of the opposition's call for a defiance campaign is just as debatable as the Government's use of force to thwart such defiance or rebellion. If the opposition at least pretended to be protesting, then it would have been easier to argue its case. Instead it vowed to defy the Government and try to unseat it through violence. Whether the force used to quell the attempted insurrection was proportionate or not is debatable but as it stands the West's biased support for the opposition, and the MDC's vow to continue street violence will only legitimise any action the police might take against those involved in the campaign. The Government says the opposition has no right to disobey the law and the opposition's handlers from the West have no right to interfere in the domestic affairs of a sovereign state, while the opposition claims the laws it is meant to obey are repressive. The question is; is it democratic for a group of people in a country that holds regular and periodic elections to adopt a strategy of using force in attempts to assume power unless there is consensus that the electoral system is undemocratic? Is there such consensus among Zimbabweans, is there any in Sadc, is there any in the African Union and is there any in the United Nations? Without taking any positions on what has just happened in recent days in Zimbabwe, one might just see the difference between talking it right on human rights and actually getting it right on internal contexts of conflicts, based on domestic politics, values, culture and historical factors. This is where the West misses. It seems the West is driven by its own capitalist interests as evidenced by its silence on Pakistan were not less than six demonstrators, not sworn rebels, were shot down by police about the same time one Gift Tandare was gunned down in Highfield. Such double standards make the implementation of law at international level very problematic. Email: zimbabwecrisis@yahoo.com Visit: Zimbabwe Watch Africans Know Whose Agenda the West Serves Posted: Monday, March 19, 2007 ¤ Zimbabwe: Africans Know Whose Agenda the West Serves Face it: the West is not concerned about the human rights and the well-being of Black Africans. Their biggest concern is to protect the status quo of White land control in Africa. All this commotion from the western media over Zimbabwe is an orchestrated effor |