The African Union (AU) is gathering in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. For the last year the AU has been led by Moammar Gaddafi, to the discomfort of many. And while there were fears that he was going to try to seek re-election to a second term, Gaddafi stepped aside, yielding to Malawi’s President Bingu wa Mutharika, who will lead the AU for the coming year. Gaddafi moving aside counts as addition by subtraction for an organization that has had a tough time finding its footing. But the decision to allow Zimbabwe, represented at the meetings by strongman President Robert Mugabe, to sit on the AU’s Peace and Security Council counts as subtraction by addition and as arguably a net loss for the AU’s credibility.
