I was going to let this pass, but after some thoughts I am left puzzled as to why a country teetering on the verge of economic collapse and political turmoil would – out of the blue – conduct this kind of publicity stunt. The only conclusion that I can come up is that this seems like a desperate move by the regime to show that it is in control, and can handle any emergency situation.
On Thursday, Zimbabweans, media and the world were caught up in the Zimbabwe’s aviation authority safety stunt. On that day a Boeing 767 suffered, while landing on a flight from London, an accident at the Harare airport, upon which the government mobilized all its national emergency response resources. Soldiers, paramilitary police, and security agents cordoned off the airport, and prowled the streets with submachine guns. Military helicopters hovered in the sky as smoke rose from the accident scene on the airport runway. Doctors, nurses and emergency medical personnel rushed to the scene and were told to expect the worst. Journalists converged in a press briefing room. All-news radio stations, TV channels, and social networks around the world picked up the story.
It turned out that there was no plane accident at all. The reported plane crash was a planned drill by Zimbabwe’s aviation authority to test the country’s national emergency response system.
Apparently, the drill was a success, but I disagree. On two very important aspects of the decision-making process – timing and judgment – this exercise was a failure of public policy. But more importantly, this exercise provides a window into the randomness and haphazard governing style of the Zimbabwe government.
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 […]
