Robert Mugabe; A Big Part of Zimbabwe’s Problems
Part of the change many are expecting to see under Barack Obama’s administration is a renewed focus on Africa. Yes, George Bush’s administration has been one of the more active and generous American administrations in Africa, but Barack Obama is expected to do far more. From stepping up involvement in Darfur and the Congo to standing up to Somali pirates, there are a lot of actions that Barack Obama is expected to take by many of his supporters in the region. Lately, Zimbabwe has become another country in which the United States will have to play a crucial role.
In her interview on Meet the Press on Sunday, Condoleezza Rice had some very strong comments about the country’s situation.
 ”This is another circumstance in which the international community, most of it – including, by the way, several African states: Botswana, the leadership of Kenya and others – are saying that the regime of Robert Mugabe has got to go,” she said on US television show “Meet the Press”.
“You have a cholera epidemic there. You have a humanitarian disaster in terms of food. You have the goons of the Mugabe regime going around and detaining people and frightening people, terrorising people. Again, the international community in that circumstance needs to act.”
Assistant Secretary of State, Jendayi Frazer, commented on Robert Mugabe:
“He should retire. His time is over. The power sharing agreement should be implemented and it needs to be implemented with someone other than Robert Mugabe as the president.”
In addition to all of this, Zimbabwe has an inflation rate around 231 million per cent. Its economy is in the tank. Before problems with its economy, its food crisis, and the disease problems such as the cholera outbreak can be solved though, the growing consensus seems to be that Robert Mugabe needs to go. No country has seriously discussed sending in armed forces to unseat him, but with how worried its neighbors are about the direction in which Mugabe is taking his country, aggressive policies will have to be taken.
Whatever choice is made, Barack Obama’s administration will be involved. It will be one of the many areas in Africa that his administration will have to make tough choices with. Let’s hope those choices are successful.