Tragedy in Africa

In terms of shear poignancy and conciseness regarding the causes of Africa's plight, I can't think of anything more telling than this headline from the AP:

No public criticism for Mugabe at African summit

Right Idea, Wrong Country

British mercenary Simon Mann, currently on trial in Equatorial Guinea, has testified that the governments of Spain and South America attempted to overthrow that oil-rich country's dictator, Teodoro Obiang, in 2004. To be sure, Mr. Obiang probably had it coming. He has ruled Equatorial Guinea ruthlessly for near 30 years, and his reign has seen such atrocities as the near-genocidal murder of many members of the country's Bubi minority.

Still, I have to ask why South Africa would be willing to unseat Obiang at the same time it has remained wholly unwilling to confront Zimbabwean tyrant Robert Mugabe. In considering the fate of Simon Mann, we should consider whether regime change in Zimbabwe might be more urgent and more justified.

Time to Intervene in Zimbabwe?

In light of Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe's promise to "wage war" if he is defeated (again) at the polls, the international community must take stock of its stance towards the Zimbabwe strongman, and southern Africa generally. While direct military intervention in Zimbabwe by UN troops seems unlikely, I do wonder how long South Africa's Thabo Mbeki will be able to slide by relatively unscathed. As one of Mugabe's leading foreign apologists, Mbeki bears much of the responsibility for Zimbabwe's slide into lawlessness and economic chaos. Only by holding Mbeki's feet to the fire can the concerned nations of the world hope to remove Mugabe from power without direct military intervention.