South African Political Party Calls for Smart Sanctions on Zimbabwe
As noted above, I recently returned from a trip to Zimbabwe. While a trip to spectacular Victoria Falls (the Smoke That Thunders) should be high on your travel "to do" list, the country is a mess due to the policies imposed by long-time leader Robert Mugabe. Zimbabwe's current claim to fame is the world's highest inflation rate, which is running at an annual rate of 1,700% and is predicted by the IMF to rise to 5,000%. Zimbabwe also has the third highest unemployment rate.
While the U.S. currently imposes targeted financial sanctions on the Mugabe regime, there is growing support for other countries, particularly those in Africa, to impose targeted sanctions on the Harare government. The Democratic Alliance, an opposition party in South Africa, today called for the Government of South Africa to "immediately end its quiet diplomacy and enact smart sanctions against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, all members of his family and members of his government" and that the South African Government should "should stop 'pussy-footing' around the deepening humanitarian crisis in neighbouring Zimbabwe."
|posted by Douglas N. Jacobson| Permalink 
