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China and Russia exercise their veto in the Security Council:British and US efforts to apply punitive pressure on Robert Mugabe were abruptly undermined last night when Russia and China vetoed a UN security council resolution seeking sanctions against Zimbabwe.While detesting the self-interested supporters of tyranny in Russia and China, I have to wonder what purpose would have been served by sanctions. After all, what influence could economic sanctions have on a thug like Mugabe who has already willfully destroyed his own nation's economy?
The resolution, calling for an arms embargo, and financial and travel restrictions on Mugabe and 13 other regime leaders, was backed by nine nations but foundered on the vetoes of the two permanent members. The arms embargo would have affected Russian and Chinese weapons exporters.
It's a sad commentary that the United States, which has spent hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of lives to overthrow the Saddam regime in Iraq, won't lift a finger to save Zimbabwe from Mugabe, a dictator so thievish and brutal as to make Saddam look like a Boy Scout. One wonders why Barack Obama doesn't make an issue of the Bush administration's indifference to the suffering caused by Mugabe's criminal despotism.
Why Saddam and not Mugabe?
ReplyDeleteSaddam had UN sanctions in place over a decade old and spanning three US presidencies. Saddam was trying to develop WMDs to threaten his neighbors and our allies. Saddam had attacked his neighbors and our allies in the region.
None of that applies to Mugabe.
Both are monsters that are guilty of genocide as a means to retain power in their state.
Most of us would like to see the US do something in Zimbabwe.
What assets are you willing to send over there to remove Mugabe and install a new government?
The true criminals outside Zimbabwe are the nations that are preventing action Russia and China. The UN could mandate an African UN corps to enforce legitimate election results. Those two nations prevent this. That is where the protest should start.