The Movement for Democratic Change is calling upon regional leaders in southern Africa to apply pressure on Robert Mugabe to continue working toward a settlement of Zimbabwe's political stalemate. It seems clear that Mugabe must have hoped for just this sort of impasse when he agreed to sit down at the negotiating table to begin with. After all, a breakdown in negotiations allows Zimbabwe to revert to status quo ante, meaning Mugabe gets to maintain power.
Thabo Mbeki and members of his government want the negotiation process to recommence. For myriad reasons it is in Mbeki's interest to broker a deal. To do so would revive Mbeki's flagging reputation and would remind the world that South Africa is still the region's crucial power broker. And now the African Union is lurking in the background, making clear its desire for a resolution in Zimbabwe. It has taken far too long to reach this point, but Mugabe might find himself in a box of his own making, surrounded by Africans applying pressure that will make Mugabe's inevitable claims of colonial imposition sound feeble.
