I agree that with rjgunter that we have to let the Zimbabwean people straighten this out themselves.  As far as his comment "American people go wobbly when the going gets tough"...goes, I disagree.  We're still in Iraq while many of our close allies have cut and run.

I used to be one of those calling for action against tyrants, but what I have learned from Iraq is that the world and the American people go wobbly when the going gets tough.  We will have to hang these people out to dry and hope they muster the courage within themselves to throw off the chains that bind them.  Meanwhile, I will sip another latte.

Robert Mugabe should be arrested in Rome and nort aloowed to go back to Zimbbabwe until the election is over.  Since he does not c respect international law, he shoiuld not benefit from it.  Can he be charged with crimes against humanity for what he has done to the people of Zimbabwe?  Matbe the grim reaper will pay him an overdfue visit soon and the country can start on the road to rebuilding.  It will probably not ever reach the level of prosperity it once had.  What's wrong with the leaders of the othe  African nations?  why can't they do something with this mad man?

How many years has this diobolical situation existed i n Zimbzbwe?

It would seem to me that the United states and Britain should have left Ian Smith's Rhodesian front government in place. That is when Zimbabwe was known as the "Bread basket" of Africa.

I know this to be a fact as I lived there through the late sixties and early senventies.

The sincere intention at that time was to share the intigrate the african people in the government over a long period of time, thereby avoiding the situation that it is in today.

So, who is to blame for the way things are? i seem to remember the "free west" charging in, handing it over with free elections, patting themselves on the back and pulling out.

And here we are!!!!!!!!!!

Mugabe is no better than Sadaam Hussein The Iraqi's had  better health care and education system and food in their bellies.  Bush in the other warmongers were in a rush to free them from the tyrant - look at them now - Freedom???  

I guess Zimbabwe is too black and 'OILESS'  so what do the rest of the 'super powers' care?  

Look at the history of the world and wars in the name of freeing people from tryants like Mugabe.  Where were they for the S. Africans, the Namibians, Ethopians, Congolese?  - and the list goes on.  

See how quickly the U.S.A. rushed to little Grenada because, they claimed, Cuba was building an airport too large for that country.  Where are the bodies of Maurice Bishop and the others that  they took after the invasion?  The US are allowing the blame for the missing bodies  to fall on Bernard Coard and the others by not owning up to taking away the bodies in body bags after the slaying.

Something must be done about Mugabe and done soon before more innocent people are allow to die. He is a disgrace to the human race.  I hope he is tried for all his crimes and like Bush said re:  Sadaam.  We are going to try him then hang him. Mugabe deserves the same!

As someone living in Zimbabwe these recent events are saddening and serve as another indication of the complete breakdown in the respect for law by the Mugger regime. This event is dissappointing, however I hope that if there is something positive to come out of it, it's that there is an increased sense of urgency not only by the US and UK but by African nations and some of Mugabe's traditional international allies to pressure the regime to accomodate the opposition in the political space. My optimism though is dimmed by the fact that Mugabe has no repect for international opinion and because we have no oil. I think the time has come for African leaders particularly those in Southern Africa to coalesce in removing Mugabe. There have been encouraging signs coming from the leaders of Botswana, Zambia and Mozambique but the crisis calls for sterner laguage and diplomacy. The situation here is untenable and Zimbabwe is a huge disgrace to the African family of nations.

Mugabe is trying by all means to remain in power till the age of 85, ensuring that he won't be tried by International courts for Crimes against humanity. He doesn’t give a damn about his own people, just like the majority of the other African leaders. Mugabe despises the west and hates whites. Africa's biggest problem is their leaders. They've done nothing in the 30 plus years of independence except ask for aid from the west, while constantly criticizing the West. South Africa's Mbeki is a joke as a mediator. It's pointless asking for African support to get rid of him because most African leaders admire him. Only a US/British led coalition will do the trick but even they are reluctant to get involved in Africa for fear of being called racists. There is a deafening silence from black leaders like Nelson Mandela, Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson just to name a few. Whatever happened to their voices? Do they only speak up against whites?

Lets hope that Tsvangirai is not eliminated before the elections in 3 weeks time. I am afraid for his life!

I, for one, do not know what, short of a US, NATO, EU and/or Pan-African backed military campaign for 'regime change' can be done for the long suffering people of Zimbabwe. The many and escalating outrages have desensitized the world to the exceptional affront to basic human rights, to the concept of just and rational government, and to the very notion of political legitimacy that Mugabe and the ruling party present. Mugabe and the callous generals of Myanmar have much in common -- chiefly contempt for their own people and any concept of just rule. Zimbabwe is collapsing! I wonder what Mugabe thinks he will preside over other than the total degradation of a nation state which once had such great potential. Its time to remove him. The US invaded Iraq on the rationale that it posed a danger to the region, and by externsion to us. The instrumentalities of the threat proved to be non-existent. The US rationale shifted to removal of a tyrant.  Why not apply this latter principle to Mugabe and this thugs? Forming a coalition for action in Zimbabwe should be easier than for action in Iraq. Are we high-minded and principled only when it is convenient...or does this nation actually inhabit the values it professes. We took no action to stem the tide of hatred and death in Rwanda/Burundi in the early '90s. Mobutu Sesse Seko enjoyed our support for many, many years, despite his mismanagement of his country. What, indeed, do we stand for?

It is very alaming to see this evil man live and travelin a free world without an arrest made. A disgrace to Africa and mankind.  This is a country very backward and this evil man refused hid people to see the light of the new world. The most powerful country in the world is giving a black man a chance to leader his country into a new beginning of humanrace and soon Britain will eventually follow kind unprecidented black MP  and more to follow.

I am lookinhg to time when we shall invade Zimbabwe and free the innocent life under bondage. We need African to wage war of freedom against Zimbabwe war lords and bring the to justice. Nigeria,South Africa, Ghana, Lybia and others got the power to win in days with support of World power weapons. We know where they live and their weapond armouries here, bomd the palace,, army barracka,while we surround the country on all sides, they will surrender  in two days and any one that try to escape through the airport capture or force the place of escape to land and arrested.

I am ready to join to set the innocent people free.

I want the Mugabe arrested

How long will the rest of the world stand by when murderers like Mugabe, the Myanmar generals, etc demolish all forms of society and innocent lives in their respective countries??? Why do the US and EU not demand UN confrontations with these animals?? When hundreds of thousands of lives are being destroyed, the rest of the world does NOTHING!  Shame on the governments and the UN for doing nothing to stop this!

Why isn't Bush raging at the United Nations about how we must go in and save the Zimbabweans from this evil tyrant, Mugabe?

Mugabe should be arrested while he is still in Rome, for crimes against humanity.

This is the strangest thing in international politics that I have ever seen. Why is this man (Mugabe) allowed to do such things while the world watches. Murdering and robbing landowners. attacking leaders of the opposition just like that, etc and we still recognize his leadership  to the point of granting him a visa to go to Italy. His assets should be frozen outside of Zimbabwe, international travelling restricted and preparation made to have him arrested and given a fair trial as soon as he is out of power. My prayers are for this strange country.

Deepthings

Well, obviously this guy (Mugabe) and his thugs are far worse than Saddam Hussein, and has starved and killed far more people by his actions.  It also is not a democracy, so where is George W. Bush.  Why hasn't he ordered us to invade Zimbabwe to restore order, impose democracy, free the citizens and remove this tyrant, a threat to all of Africa and of course, the United States.  Oh, I forgot, there isn't any oil there.