Not in the strict definition of the word. And these days he's (forced to) share power with Morgan Tsvangerai.
He is, nevertheless, a powerhungry, corrupt and staggeringly incompetent politician.
Zimbabwe Government Passes Law on 51% Black Ownership
- Thread starter Snorrius
- Start date
Not in the strict definition of the word. And these days he's (forced to) share power with Morgan Tsvangerai.
He is, nevertheless, a powerhungry, corrupt and staggeringly incompetent politician.
I don't see how this policy is even remotely defendable. If the law specified Zimbabwean majority ownership, rather than black majority ownership, then it would be defendable, even if complete lunacy, but no, it is just a further extension of Mugabe's racist policies continuing to drive the country much further into the ground they are already well and truly stuck in.
aneeshm
Deity
Maybe you're right; it'll probably be worse.
Mugabe doesn't have much going for him. As usual he's attempting paranoid populist policies, playing the racial card and using whites as scapegoats.
These days, Dictator,Tyrant, Caudillo, etc are used interchangeably for oppressive figures in control or mostly in control. I am guilty of it, and so are most people on this forum and in the general public.
You are correct though. In terms of strict definition, he is not a dictator, but in fact a Tyrant.
JerichoHill
Bedrock of Knowledge
So massive capital flight out of Zimbabwe is going to help the 99.6%
When Zimb passed its crazy land laws, they ostensibly were to create black-owned farms. Most of the land that was reclaimed went to the ruling black politicians and their families. What farms that did transfer to black ownership pretty much were destroyed in 5 years as the fertility left. This isn't a per se knock on the black owners, but a knock on pushing ownership with no working knowledge of modern farming in charge. A better idea would have been to educate potential black owners and then initiated a transfer but that would take decades.
JerichoHill
Bedrock of Knowledge
He hasn't abided by the power sharing agreement at all.
fugazi
King
Alienation of a group of financial muscle is outright idiotic. Next to promoting and even causing more seething hatred within your own ranks, you chase out those who can achieve goals. Instead you opt for the populist choice and give the paupers what they want, hoping they'll somehow find the necessary skills and knowledge to fill up the gap you just created? At some point you run out of excuses to use, or so you'd think.
But the Zimbabwean government has a vested interest in keeping the white numbers low.
Formaldehyde
Both Fair And Balanced
I think that has already occurred.
I couldn't agree more. They are clearly acting in a self-destructive manner.
I want to make it clear that I am certainly no Mugabe supporter. I just understand what the leadership of Zimbabwe are trying to accomplish by enacting laws which try to address the previous foreign exploitation of their natural resources and citizens.
As flyingchicken pointed out earlier, the Phillipines have a similar law to try to prevent any further US and other foreign exploitation of their own country. And in our particular case, it directly stems from the US invading and subsequently massacring a sizeable portion of their civlian population at the turn of the century in a war which should have never occurred. Then again, we merely displaced the Spanish who were doing the same thing only on a much more massive scale.
And many other countries have quite similar laws restricting foreign investment, including Mexico. For quite a number of decades, Brazil restricted nearly all imports. While that move likely hurt their economy to a great extent at the time, it also encouraged a lot of local industry to grow which simply didn't exist until then.
I also see how self-serving this new law likely is. After all, who are the blacks who are now affluent enough in Zimbabwe to own a sizeable portion of a critical industry other than those who are currently in power?
But is that more evil than simply allowing the past to happen again? For foreign investors to come in and exploit the country even more?
What I find particularly sad is that these countries are essentially coerced to fail by the rich and powerful to serve as examples to any others who may try to do the same. Examples of this would include Haiti and Cuba. And in other cases, the government is simply overthrown after it tries to nationalize key industries, such as what happened in Iran and Chile.
It is a complex problem. But I can't fault them too much for trying to do something to at least assure that it is largely corrupt and evil locals who reap the rewards this time instead of foreigners with the same attributes. At least the capital will hopefully stay in the country where it can be used to promote even more economic growth instead of going to foreign investors.
amadeus
burning out his fuse out here alone
Unless it's by the Chinese, whom are given lucrative contracts with the government and permitted 100% foreign ownership. But I'm sure you knew that...
Formaldehyde
Both Fair And Balanced
It apparently includes all businesses. Who do you think owns Platinum Ltd., Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd., and Aquarius Platinum Ltd? The local blacks?
What makes you think they will be exempt from the new law?
[citation needed]
amadeus
burning out his fuse out here alone
They're Mugabe's closest ally?
Although I guess that doesn't mean anything when you have a law-and-order society like Zimbabwe with its strictly-enforced constitutional protections of essential human rights and equality under the law.
Formaldehyde
Both Fair And Balanced
So I'm supposed to "know" about your own speculations in the matter?
And based on previous comments on apartheid governments in Africa, I would think you would be supportive of a law-and-order society over one which was just and fair.
And based on previous comments on apartheid governments in Africa, I would think you would be supportive of a law-and-order society over one which was just and fair.
amadeus
burning out his fuse out here alone
No, it's based on being able to read between the lines and knowing anything about Zimbabwe's foreign policy during the last 10 years. You don't have to be a Rhodesia (pun intended) scholar to know that a corrupt autocratic regime is going to make exemptions for the country that supplies it with aid, arms, loans, and investments.
Formaldehyde
Both Fair And Balanced
As opposed to the previous racist and highly corrupt white exploiters of black nations? 
I think the white colonists lost the moral high ground a long time ago in Africa. Perhaps they should have thought twice before making the aboriginals into what are essentially slaves for their own collective greed. Perhaps they should have remembered they claimed to be Christians.
I think the white colonists lost the moral high ground a long time ago in Africa. Perhaps they should have thought twice before making the aboriginals into what are essentially slaves for their own collective greed. Perhaps they should have remembered they claimed to be Christians.
Yared
That Guy
amadeus
burning out his fuse out here alone
So you're... Actually, I have no idea what the hell you're doing here.As opposed to the previous racist and highly corrupt white exploiters of black nations?
Let me try and piece it together.
- Formaldehyde says exploitation is bad.
- White people exploited black people.
- Mugabe doesn't want Zimbabwe exploited by white people.
- Chinese exploit Zimbabwe.
- Formaldehyde says exploitation is bad.
