When I read that Robert Mugabe had begun to appoint provincial governors and other political appointees I chalked it up as business as usual for Mugabe. With negotiations still ongoing, and at something of an impasse, he simply decided to establish facts on the ground and thus to act as if those facts reflect ongoing political realities. This sort of hubris is familiar to anyone who has watched Zimbabwe for a long time.
Less easy to comprehend, even thinking in terms of the language of pure power, was Mugabe's decision to open Parliament despite protestation from the leaders of the Movement for Democratic Change. Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party do not categorically control parliament in the way that Mugabe lords over the executive, after all. And wouldn't you know it, Mugabe's overreach turned back on him. MDC MP's heckled Mugabe as he opened Parliament. And if that did not seem cheeky enough from Mugabe's vantage point, especially galling had to be the election of the MDC's Lovemore Moyo as speaker in a secret ballot despite Mugabe's machinations behind the scenes. The winds of change continue to blow in Zimbabwe. The only question is whether Robert Mugabe will live long enough to see their ultimate impact.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
