Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has declared that because of the fragile and violent conditions in Zimbabwe the time is “not at all” right to hold the run-off elections. Erstwhile challenger Simba Makoni has similarly argued that because a free and fair election cannot be held, the runoff must be canceled. And yet that violence that helps fuel the fragility is intended precisely to destabilize the country. Not having free and fair elections is sort of the point.
Not holding the runoff, however precarious conditions may be, plays right into what Robert Mugabe wants. What possible motivation will Mugabe have ever to hold the run-off? Why would he not control violence so as to ensure that the time is never right? The argument becomes self-fulfilling.
No one wants to see the situation get worse in Zimbabwe. No one relishes what will almost certainly be an ugly week leading up to and following the runoff. But this is a process that must happen. Otherwise the message becomes clear: Violence stops change. The message needs to be that change can overcome violence.
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 […]
