Zimbabwe

[JulieL]

When are George and Tony going to sort out Mr Mugabe?!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4119688.stm

The treatment of these people is a disgrace - The World should be ashamed!!
I feel that going into Zimbabwe to 'sort out' Mr Mugabe would be much more appropriate than the current Iraqi war

 

[petewood]

Saddam Hussein got away with this kind of stuff and worse for many years, and yet this was only used as an excuse for starting the war.

 

[2scoops0406]

No oil

 

[felix]

Sadly I must agree with Eddie M. There was no oil in Bosnia either. There is perhaps one other reason why Zimbabwians(?) should be left to sort out their own mess though I'm not sure they can do it. The reason: Many many years ago, when it was still Rhodesia, the Zimbabwians to be elected that jumped up little s**t more or less fair and square!

They had five black African candidates to choose from plus Ian Smith. I can't remember all their names (and probably couldn't spell them either) but the two who got the most votes were those well known terrorists Mugabe and Nkomo. Mugabe soon showed his true colours and set about killing Nkomo's supporters with great gusto. The rest of the world watched - and maybe laughed at the stupidity of those who had elected him.

I know that's not an answer but I'm afraid I don't have any. I recently heard some African on Newsnight telling us that they were really grateful for all the help Sir Bob was drumming up but what Africa really needed was help in sorting out its own corrupt leaders. Now this is quite true but it made me think. A couple of centuries back we Europeans were in much the same mess and there was nobody to help. We dragged ourselves out and hopefully learnt a lot of lessons along the way.

Can the rest of the world really put Africa right or, like alcoholics, do they have to do it for themselves? This may sound harsh - and it is - but I've got a horrible feeling that it's true. We can help up to a point but in the end they will get the leaders they deserve.

 

[AdamW]

It's the history of extremism and tyranny. Blame someone else, then make them suffer.

First thing S Hussein did when he came to power was to have his adversaries marched out of parliament and executed. Right there and then.

Mugabe told people such things as "vote for me, it's the whites who are causing all the problems". Seeing as the majority of the electorate were poor and hungry ethnic Africans, they voted for him. Once a tyrant is in power and in charge of the military, it is hard to get them to stand down.

The daft thing is, they never learn. Tyrants invariably end up either assassinated by their foes or up in front of an international court for crimes against humanity. Or perhaps history only remembers you as a tyrant if you meet such an end? Maybe a tyrant who retires stands a better chance, we might never know.

 

[Damocles]

Whose that chap, was it maggies friend, from Argentina? Couldnt try him for killing loads of people, so they are trying to get him for tax evasion?

 

[kendor]

Whose that chap, was it maggies friend, from Argentina? Couldnt try him for killing loads of people, so they are trying to get him for tax evasion?

sounds like a repeat of Al Capone

 

[felix]

If you mean Pinochet, the one who ate all Maggie's best biscuits, he was from Chile.

 

[kendor]

If you mean Pinochet, the one who ate all Maggie's best biscuits, he was from Chile.

No it was definitely Al Capone

 

[david and julie]

Wasn't the one guy from Argentina called Galtieri? If I remember rightly he died quite recently.

 

[kendor]

Wasn't the one guy from Argentina called Galtieri? If I remember rightly he died quite recently.

I thought he was one of the generals during the falklands conflict?

 

[felix]

It was General Galtierri (I think I've spelt that right) of Argentina who invaded the Falklands (or Malvinas depending whose side you were on). He was no friend of Maggie's. The only Argentinian I can think of who might have been offered a biscuit was known as the Blue Angel. Two European countries - Spain was one and I think Sweden was the other - wanted him on a string of charges including murder but we gave him diplomatic immunity and sent him home.

I wonder whether Maggie gave him an extra biscuit for the journey. I would never have believed any such thing at the time but after the Pinochet episode I'm not so sure!

 

[petewood]

what Africa really needed was help in sorting out its own corrupt leaders. .

Couldn't agree more, but it never seems to happen, I suspect because of trading ties with said leaders. Better the devil you know, etc.

A couple of centuries back we Europeans were in much the same mess .

Drought? Starvation? Genocide? Aids?

 

[petewood]

Maybe a tyrant who retires stands a better chance, we might never know.

You will never know. Who would dare to retire after causing such suffering? Who would want to retire after wielding such power?

 

[felix]

we Europeans were in much the same mess

Quite right petewood. That was a poor choice of words. Apart from the plague our mess was entirely man made. The first world war should have been the end of it but it took one more before we finally got our act together.