Some of the latest developments from Zimbabwe can easily be expressed in shorthand: Mass arrests. Torturing people to death. Shooting and killing members of the opposition. Police, who are allowed to vote early, are forced to cast their votes for the ruling party. And then, because no story on modern-day Zimbabwe is complete without an example of hubris, we have authorities blaming the opposition for all of the troubles and Robert Mugabe claiming that only God can remove him from power.
No wonder some in the region are becoming more vocal about the near-impossibility of a free and fair election, including leaders of countries that have had their own recent electoral difficulties. And no wonder Morgan Tsvangirai is again considering withdrawing from the runoff.
