Luckily, things have started to gather a bit of momentum, if not exactly fall into place. I have a phone interview with the director of a small NGO on Monday, which I think has the potential to go very well. From the little I know about the position, it's one that would allow me to start working in the area that I love; that's everybody's true American Dream, isn't it? Whether it puts a tin roof over my head and a bowl of granola on the table, is far less certain. I'll keep you posted.
So, now that I'm back in a part of the world where - for better or for worse - nothing exciting really seems to happen, I'm forced to start living vicariously through bbc.com again. Although I suppose I should count my blessings that I'm not in a few parts of the world at the moment; here's a few tidbits that I found interesting / disturbing:
First of all, let me just say that this is absolute madness on a number of levels. Firstly, I'm with Iranian officials in believing that there's absolutely no way that this happens, especially given the continuing uncertainty of the country's nuclear ambitions. Sure, they've been pretty sneaky with the International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors, but there's still not a sufficient amount of evidence suggesting arsenal buildup to justify a preemptive strike. Even if we find out that they do have the bomb (which, in all honesty, wouldn't surprise me), there's no way that the US allows Israel to start what would undoubtedly be the most destructive war of the 21st century thus far. Not going to happen, especially - I'm somewhat sad to say - with Bush on the way out, and a new bunch of politicians trying to get into the good books of the electorate. After all, American domestic politics does seem to have as big of an impact on international events as any brand of geopolitics.
Secondly, this is absolute madness in that if it did happen, it would undoubtedly be the most destructive war of the 21st century thus far. I guess I got ahead of myself a little with that one, so I'll move on.
By claiming that his party isn't responsible for violence against the opposition MDC, and stating that "only God" can remove him from power, in the same breath, Mr. Mugabe is really upping his credibility. Not. It's obvious that he's only making passive attempts to convince an increasingly wise world that elections in the country aren't being rigged, but his claim of divine right really makes him out to be a clown. Seriously though, the prospect of MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulling himself out of the running really scares me. If this were to happen, it would essentially constitute a defeat of people-rule at the hands of authoritarianism, and perhaps set a precedent for other struggling democracies throughout the world.
How is this situation going to be remedied, and an environment conducive to the democratic process be created? Given the scale of the violence directed towards MDC supporters by Zanu-PF hands (see video link on website for an example), a peaceful resolution from within the country is probably not going to be reached. Outside intervention of some kind is needed, although this is perennially easier said than done. I'm not totally up to spec on what type of initiatives are currently in place, although I heard something about the EU issuing some sort of resolution against the Mugabe administration. Gordon Brown (UK PM) has issued numerous statements condemning Zanu-PF, but as far as I know nothing has really come out of them. From what I understand, South Africa is being far from assertive in encouraging a free vote, although to their credit they must be engaged in quite the balancing act between democratic ideals and regional stability at the moment. I sure as hell know that sanctions aren't the answer; it's already evident that the ruling powers don't give a damn about the welfare of the average Zimbabwean Joe, due to the implementation of oppressive economic policies. Inflation is through the roof, and sanctions are only going to cause more people to starve. Despite the common flaws of multilateral intervention, I'm convinced that a UN resolution is crucial if the crisis is to be resolved. Only when Mugabe and his thugs come under international pressure - as a result of a common resolve, which only the UN is equipped to facilitate - will he be forced to back down. Regardless of it's failures, the UN has shown the ability to act with intentionality (i.e. 20 000+ troops headed to Darfur), and it needs to do the same here, although I'm not sure in what capacity.
I was going to comment on three stories, but that last commentary got a little out of hand. Hopefully people have realized that the blog isn't dead post-Asia, and will offer up their comments on some of the subjects I've addressed.
Cheers
Tom
2 comments:
TOM! I confess I didn't read the articles attached to your commentary, and I really know nothing about the issues at hand, but your commentary is thought provoking and very well written! I like your writing. I'm going to come back and read the articles tomorrow. End.
You know, I just read this post over, and realized there's clarification needed in one spot. When I interject "I'm sad to say" in the sentence about Bush leaving office, I don't mean I'm sad that he's leaving. In fact, I may throw a large bash. Rather, I mean that I get depressed by the impact that the domestic politics of one country can have that much of an affect on regions thousands of kilometres away.
OK, has my membership into the imaginary Honourary Society of ID Alumni been reinstated?
;)
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