Unilateral U.S. Intervention in Zimbabwe Hurts, Not Helps, Democracy - Africa Action Releases New Statement on Zimbabwe
Ahead of Upcoming Elections
Thursday, February 14, 2008 (Washington, DC) - In anticipation of the Nomination Courts sitting this Friday, February 15 to determine the candidates for Zimbabwe's
presidential, legislative and local elections in March, Africa Action today released a new statement calling for a
change in direction for U.S. policy towards Zimbabwe. The upcoming elections are a historic opportunity to end Robert
Mugabe's 18-year rule, which in the past decade has seen a dire political, social and economic crisis emerge that has
wreaked havoc on the living conditions of ordinary Zimbabweans. President Bush has pursued a tactless strategy of
intervention through financial sanctions and unilateral political and diplomatic efforts that fails to promote real
democracy for Zimbabwe. Continuing a tradition of solidarity with Zimbabwe's people that dates to the liberation
struggle era, Africa Action calls for the Bush administration to abandon this misguided approach and instead pursue a
multilateral process of dialogue that engages regional and international actors and promotes the role of Zimbabwean
civil society.
Briggs Bomba, Africa Action's Program Associate for Public Education and Mobilization, said today, "The U.S. has a
historical responsibility to support democracy in Zimbabwe not only because of its disgraceful support of the repressive
Rhodesian regime in the past and its failure to honor its economic commitments to Zimbabwe's people made at the time of
the country's independence, but also because the defense of democracy, human rights and social justice is an
international responsibility. The indiscreet unilateralism pursued by the Bush administration is counterproductive to
this aim. It lends credit to Mugabe's self-portrayal as a victim of Western imperialism and risks cultivating an
opposition beholden to U.S. support that will be loyal to U.S. interests at the expense of Zimbabwe's people."
Africa Action urges the Bush administration to prioritize people over politics, and support a multilateral engagement by
the international community and regional actors to ensure that Zimbabwe's March elections are free and fair.
"By pursuing a heavy-handed strategy against Robert Mugabe while simultaneously backing dictatorial regimes like those
of Meles Zenawi in Ethiopia and Pervez Musharraf in Pakistan, the Bush administration undermines its purported
commitment to global democracy," said Michael Swigert, Africa Action's Program Associate for Policy Analysis and
Communications. "The U.S. should focus on constructively engaging the United Nations, the African Union and the Southern
Africa Development Community (SADC) in dialogue with Zimbabwe's factions to create a democratic electoral environment
that is truly people driven. Supporting the inclusion of Zimbabwean civil society initiatives in this political process
must be a guiding principle for future U.S. diplomacy."
Africa Action's statement on the crisis in Zimbabwe can be read at http://www.africaaction.org.
ENDS