Brown v. Mugabe, Redux
Gordon Brown remains steadfast in his refusal to attend any Europe-Africa summit in which Robert Mugabe is allowed to participate. At least a few African leaders are rallying around Mugabe, who is on his way to New York where he will attend the meeting of the General Assembly. Prepare for rhetorical brickbats to come from Zim’s wily tyrant. Already his sycophants in the press have gone after Brown, with political columnist Nathaniel Manheru writing in Harare’s government mouthpiece The Herald: “Mugabe stands very tall and black. Brown stands white and colonial.”
But keep in mind as the verbs and adjectives fly that not only is Brown on the right side in this debate, but that his view reflects that of masses in Zimbabwe who have been victims of Mugabe’s betrayal of his people for the sake of his own power and aggrandizement. Mugabe will use his bully pulpit. We know this to be true. But the words he speaks will be bitter but empty, sound and fury signifying nothing except his scorn for human rights, democratic processes, and his own people.
September 27th, 2007 at 6:23 am
WAITING FOR MUGABE TO DIE
The blind old man lay gasping,
The spittle from his contagious, diseased breath splattered the eagerly attending vultures,
Each wheeze brought the inevitable moment closer,
The noxious fumes emitted from his body are suffocating the rest,
Die now old man so we can breath.
September 27th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
[…] Well, earlier in the week I predicted it, not because I am especially perspicacious, but because it was so predictable: “Prepare for rhetorical brickbats to come from Zim’s wily tyrant.” And brickbats we have gotten. In his Wednesday address before the United Nations, Mugabe had a field day. His material tends not to vary all that much — accusations of imperialism, neo-colonialism, hypocrisy. He lashed out at President Bush (whose utter mishandling of Iraq and other foreign policy ventures makes him a logical target) and Gordon Brown. Mugabe even savvily praised Thabo Mbeki for Mbeki’s mediation in Zimbabwe. It was atypical Mugabe performance, largely unhinged, not without its rhetorical merits, but largely obfuscatory of the real issues. The man is certainly a world class demagogue. […]
September 27th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
Zimboy –
Unfortunately, waiting for despots to expire tends to be one of those frustrating waiting games that can take shockingly long to achieve fruition. Mugabe will probably hang on for a long time, though like you, I certainly hope not.
dc
October 3rd, 2007 at 2:03 pm
[…] It looks like British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has failed in his campaign to prevent Robert Mugabe from being invited to December’s summit of European and African leaders in Portugal. Further, Brown is meeting with resistance to his proposal that the European union send an envoy to deal with the Zimbabwe crisis. Those African leaders who continue to stand by Zimbabwe at least can hide behind the (very) thin reed of Pan-Africanism and loyalty to someone they still accord status as a former liberation hero. But what excuse do the Europeans have? […]