The European Union has extended most of the sanctions against Zimbabwe for another year, citing the lack of progress on negotiating for a new government. It is hard to argue the lack of progress part, but I am just not sure that continuing sanctions is part of the solution rather than part of the problem. The sanctions are clearly aimed at Robert Mugabe and his ZANU-PF. But the problem is that Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC, with whom Mugabe and ZANU-PF are supposed to be negotiating, nonetheless oppose continuing the sanctions, and it would seem that Tsvangirai’s wishes should have some heft in this discussion. No one knows more than the (de facto) opposition how ruthless Mugabe and his people are, yet they want the EU to loosen the slack on their country. Furthermore, it is difficult to imagine that some of these sanctions will have any negative impact on Mugabe and his cronies and thus any privation will flood down to the masses.
UPDATE: SW Radio Africa’s “Hot Seat Programme” conducted interviews with Zimbabweans asking their opinions on the (partial) continuation of sanctions.
