Over the years, a number of countries world wide have been placing sanctions on Zimbabwe. These sanctions have been mainly targeted towards members of the Mugabe regime. Countries imposing sanctions include the United States, Britain, the EU, Australia and New Zealand just to name a few. Sanctions include travel bans, financial sanctions and a ban on trading with companies that are linked to the Zimbabwe government.
Now they are going a little further than just targeting people directly involved with the Zimbabwe government. Australia recently deported the children of top Zimbabwe Government officials who were studying there. The United States has just imposed new travel and financial sanctions and will also be deporting the children of Zanu-PF officials.
These sanctions may have made things a little harder for those on the lists but their lives are still go on as they continue to do what they do. Even the travel bans aren’t 100% effective. They are still able to travel to countries that don’t want them. If there is a UN summit or similar conference there isn’t a lot that can be to prevent them from attending. For example, there has been a big debate going on over the last few weeks about whether or not to allow Mugabe to attend the EU-Africa Summit in Spain this weekend (8th-9th December). British Prime Minister Gordon Brown plans to boycott the summit in protest of Mugabe’s attendance.
The effectiveness of these sanctions can be brought into question. Does imposing sanctions change anything in a nation? Have they been effective in Zimbabwe? Are they having an effect on the people they are meant for? What kind of an effect do they have on the people of Zimbabwe?
There has been a lot of talk over the years about these selective sanctions which don’t seem to beaffecting the targeted individuals, and the rest of Zimbabweans suffer.
Now they say because of the growing Chinese links with Africa, even the EU was forced to invite Mugabe to the summit in Portugal.
Isolation of the country through these sanctions has not helped the country at all.
Great article.
It’s past time for Mugabe to go. Soon there won’t be but a shell of a country left. Thanks to the Russians and Chinese, he can do what he pleases.