The presidential election was held in Zimbabwe more than three weeks ago. While it’s widely rumored that strongman Robert Mugabe was ousted by voters, we don’t know for sure. That’s because his government has refused to reveal the results.
Mugabe apparently intends to cling to power, continuing to exercise his reign of terror (and error), thuggishly intimidating opposition, and killing off the Zimbabwean economy, while claiming that all the bad stuff in his country is Britain’s fault.
How is Mugabe holding on?
He has help, first from the South African government which, in spite of pious protestations to the contrary, has been Mugabe’s most stalwart backer.
Next, he gets help from the government in China.
A few days ago, dockworkers in South Africa refused to allow a shipment of arms they feared, rightly I think, will be used on Zimbabwean dissidents. (Read: Ordinary citizens who want their country to be a functioning democracy.) The shipment comes from China, whose government will do anything to feed the economic engine of their country, all designed to placate the Chinese populace while maintaining its own iron fisted hegemony on power.
It’s shocking to me that in this year’s presidential race, we continue to have almost no discussion about the greatest national security and economic threat confronting world stability generally and US interests specifically, the government in China.
We ignore the Chinese government’s increasing danger at the peril of the world and the US.
[This is being cross-posted at my personal blog.]