Maravi

(NEWZIMBABWE) Regional think tank says sanctions ineffective

COMMENT - This report only addresses 'targeted' or 'smart' sanctions, not the credit freeze put on the Zimbabwean government through ZDERA. The report seems to be unaware (or is outright dishonest) about the existence of economic sanctions, which you can read all about in the link provided here.

Regional think tank says sanctions ineffective
by Staff Reporter
08/06/2010 00:00:00

A REGIONAL political think-tank says that Western targeted sanctions against Zimbabwean officials are largely ineffective and have inadvertently stabilised President Robert Mugabe’s party by winning it friends opposed to US and European policies.

The European Union, United States, Australia and New Zealand slapped more than 200 senior members of the Zanu (PF) inner circle with visa restrictions, an asset freeze and arms embargo in 2002 in protest at the disputed presidential elections allegedly stolen by Mugabe.

Trade sanctions were also imposed on state-owned companies and other corporate bodies linked to President Mugabe and his inner circle.

However, South Africa’s Institute of Security Studies (ISS) said the effectiveness of the “smart sanctions” has been limited by inconsistencies in their implementation as well as their selective nature.

“Although a travel ban may have had an initial impact in the sense that it limited the free movement of a targeted individual, it appears that the impact was not severe enough to compel such persons to change their behaviour,” the think-tank said in a report titled “Zimbabwe : Are Targeted Sanctions Smart Enough ? On the Efficacy of International Restrictive Measures”.

Underscoring this dilemma is the fact that the travel restrictions apply only to certain countries and allow travel exemptions for participation in meetings coordinated by international organisations such as the UN and International Monetary Fund.

Targeted individuals can therefore easily find ways to circumvent the ban – either by travelling to and shopping in countries that have not imposed such restrictions or by attending international conferences or humanitarian events while at the same time pursuing their private interests in whichever countries they visit.

ISS said Mugabe has also successfully transformed the external pressure into political capital in support of his alleged anti-imperialist cause, discrediting anyone in favour of “smart sanctions” as puppets of the West.

The Zimbabwean leader’s manipulative use of terminology by describing smart sanctions as illegal has meant that instead of pressuring Zanu (PF), these measures have been taken hostage and are often used as a scapegoat, with the Mugabe publicly blaming them for the country’s economic decline.

“In this sense these measures have, in fact, been counterproductive, serving to stabilise the Mugabe regime by providing it with an alibi,” ISS said.

Mugabe has insisted that remaining outstanding issues from a power-sharing agreement he signed with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in 2008 would only be resolved once Tsvangirai’s party successfully lobbies for the removal of the sanctions.

Labels: SANCTIONS, ZDERA

posted by MrK @ 3:49 PM