(TALKZIMBABWE) America's sharp eye on Zimbabwe

America's sharp eye on Zimbabwe
Mwanawevhu—Opinion
Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:02:00 +0000

A RECENT headline on the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) website read, “US govt keeps sharp eye on Zimbabwe run-off”. The first paragraph read: “The US government says it will go ahead with its preparation for the June 27 Zimbabwean presidential run-off election, irrespective of the MDC's threat to withdraw. Yesterday the MDC announced that it was considering pulling out of the run-off.”

Surely Dubase (the SABC correspondent) would know what this meant. This was not just a sudden realization that the US has been keeping a sharp eye — whatever that means — on Zimbabwe.

The rest of the world could be a bit slow to waking up to the realities of that sharp eye, but not Zimbabweans.

In reference to Zimbabwe, the US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice said last week, “We believe that unless the Security Council acts, it stands to lose credibility.”

I wondered: “If the credibility of the UNSC rests on the manner in which elections are conducted in Zimbabwe, then I think there must be something wrong with the way in which the multi-lateral system is organized in the world. It surely is time to re-organize the body.”

Then I wondered: “Who decides whether the UNSC has lost its credibility or not? Surely it can’t be Condoleeza Rice.”

An issue is brought to the UNSC if none of the permanent members block its discussion. It was the UN itself which wrote in that clause. If they did so in the belief that any of the permanent member(s) could force through a discussion regardless of the opposition, what was the point of that clause?

And why should credibility of that body rest on a right underwritten in the constitution?

One wonders why the United States needs the UN to pass a damning resolution on Zimbabwe now.

The US Congress passed one of the most notorious pieces of legislation which paralyzed the economy of a tiny landlocked country thousands of miles away: the Zimbabwe Democracy Recovery Act of 2001, or the infamously acronymed Zidera.

Since then, they have not only been keeping an eye on Zimbabwe; but have been paralyzing Zimbabwe to effect regime change.

Lastly; just a quick question: Had Tsvangirai already been given the US$7 million already promised by the United States for election observers, or not, when he decided to withdraw from the presidential election contest?