It is the most potent and dangerous arrow remaining in Mugabe's quiver. More daunting than corruption, more destructive than his alliances with the power structure, Mugabe's ability to marshal violence is the biggest remaining X-factor remaining in whether or not he clings tenaciously to power. That violence might come in the myriad security forces at his disposal. Or it might come from the informal but no less real informal sectors, such as the war veterans. If Mugabe maintains his hold over the formal and informal power structure, over the men with guns, he will remain in control. If not, Morgan Tsvangirai may just have a chance to succeed him. That those with their fingers on the trigger wield this much potential power is sad and frightening, but these are the straits in which Zimbabwe finds itself today.
