Has failure of sanctions on Zimbabwe prompted a western u-turn? | local
Description: Zimbabwe and the SADC have argued that the continued imposition of sanctions compound an already fraught political atmosphere, which in turn frustrates the promotion of reform.
The EU will soon announce whether it renews or lifts its ban on direct development assistance to the Zimbabwean government, as well as asset and visa restrictions. In place for a decade, these sanctions have not achieved their objectives.
Instead, they have been used as a propaganda stick against the EU, which Robert Mugabe and his supporters accuse of promoting regime change and undermining the economy.
Such allegations have successfully diverted attention from the governance and human rights violations that brought about these measures in the first place.
A stalemate has ensued whereby the EU (and the US, which implements its own measures) calls unsuccessfully for reforms as a basis for lifting sanctions.
Zimbabwe and the SADC argue that their continued imposition compounds an already fraught political atmosphere, which in turn frustrates the promotion of reform.
The EU will soon announce whether it renews or lifts its ban on direct development assistance to the Zimbabwean government, as well as asset and visa restrictions. In place for a decade, these sanctions have not achieved their objectives.
Instead, they have been used as a propaganda stick against the EU, which Robert Mugabe and his supporters accuse of promoting regime change and undermining the economy.
Such allegations have successfully diverted attention from the governance and human rights violations that brought about these measures in the first place.
A stalemate has ensued whereby the EU (and the US, which implements its own measures) calls unsuccessfully for reforms as a basis for lifting sanctions.
Zimbabwe and the SADC argue that their continued imposition compounds an already fraught political atmosphere, which in turn frustrates the promotion of reform.
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