Opinion / Columnist
Zimbabwe not adversary of United States
06 Mar 2023 at 05:15hrs | Views
Zimbabwe's unrelenting pursuit for self-determination has seen the Southern African country at loggerheads with the Americans who have a penchant for interfering in the internal affairs of other sovereign countries.
To give a clearer and more accurate idea of what we are talking about, the Chinese publication, Xinhua, is on record stating that from the end of the Second World War to 2001, the United States initiated 201 armed conflicts in 153 locations, accounting for more than 80 percent of the total wars that occurred across the world in that time.
Apart from outright military aggression, the United States was also cited as having used economic seduction, financial sanctions, cultural infiltration, incitement to riot, election manipulation and other ruses to covertly subvert so-called "ideologically hostile countries."
With regards to Zimbabwe, following the imposition of illegal sanctions in response the land reform, US politicians have of late been coming up with the most outrageous claims in a bid to portray the Southern African country as their adversary.
Speculation is rife that the United States is jittery because the Chinese have now come back to the continent they helped liberate as reliable investors, hence the need to punish anyone not dancing to the American tune.
In June 2022, then White House National Security Adviser, Robert O'Brien, named Zimbabwe as one of the US' foreign adversaries who were allegedly trying to stoke and promote violent protests that were taking place in his country over the killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, by law a police officer.
At the time, the most perceptive Zimbabweans questioned why their country would promote violent protests in the US as if it intended to install a puppet government over there? No satisfactory answer was found.
Fast forward, recently the Republican Presidential candidate, Nimarata Nikki Haley, was at it again telling Fox News during an interview that the United States was supposed to stop giving aid to its enemies, namely China, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.
She went on to describe Zimbabwe as the most anti-American African country there is.
The propensity of US politicians to lie with a straight face is worrisome.
These are the same people who could not find weapons of mass distraction in Iraq despite that being the main reason for invading the Middle Eastern country in 2003. However, as for Haley, it is not clear whether she is just plain stupid or uncultured.
One would expect a person who wants to be the next US President to know that Zimbabwe does rely on aid from her country.
What the US terms humanitarian aid is in actual fact funding for illegal regime change.
If indeed Haley wanted the US to cut ties with all countries that are not in partnership with it, she should have added the country of her forefathers, India.
Despite the undue pressure from the US, India has remained steadfast in its co-operation with Russia, refusing to condemn the conflict in Ukraine and not joining Western sanctions against Moscow.
Do not get me wrong; India has the right to associate with whomever it so chooses, however, the development just shows how much of a hypocrite Haley is.
As for the aid mentioned by Haley, the misconception in her utterances was thinking that the US has leverage over China, Pakistan and Zimbabwe because of aid.
She failed to realise that US aid is an albatross around the necks of whoever receives it as it comes with conditions.
Some countries have been arm-twisted to accept the abominable same-sex relationships and marriages because of aid. Zimbabwe does not need that kind of assistance; that comes with conditions.
For the record, Zimbabwe does not consider itself America's adversary. To quote His Excellency President Mnangagwa, who said, "We prefer having friends and allies to having unhelpful adversity with any other nation including the USA."
Again, Zimbabweans have come to the understanding that the US does not have their interests at heart, but is simply after the mineral wealth of their country.
When the indigenous people were fighting for independence, America was one of the countries that helped the Rhodesian Government bust British sanctions.
On the other hand, the Russians and the Chinese have stood with Zimbabwe since the liberation struggle.
The two nations treat Zimbabwe as an equal partner and do not meddle in her internal affairs.
The Southern African country does not ask for much, except to be accorded the same respect it accords other sovereign nations.
Zimbabwe only wants the illegal sanctions imposed by the West to be removed unconditionally.
These restrictive measures have caused untold suffering to ordinary citizens and slowed down the country's economic recovery.
To give a clearer and more accurate idea of what we are talking about, the Chinese publication, Xinhua, is on record stating that from the end of the Second World War to 2001, the United States initiated 201 armed conflicts in 153 locations, accounting for more than 80 percent of the total wars that occurred across the world in that time.
Apart from outright military aggression, the United States was also cited as having used economic seduction, financial sanctions, cultural infiltration, incitement to riot, election manipulation and other ruses to covertly subvert so-called "ideologically hostile countries."
With regards to Zimbabwe, following the imposition of illegal sanctions in response the land reform, US politicians have of late been coming up with the most outrageous claims in a bid to portray the Southern African country as their adversary.
Speculation is rife that the United States is jittery because the Chinese have now come back to the continent they helped liberate as reliable investors, hence the need to punish anyone not dancing to the American tune.
In June 2022, then White House National Security Adviser, Robert O'Brien, named Zimbabwe as one of the US' foreign adversaries who were allegedly trying to stoke and promote violent protests that were taking place in his country over the killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, by law a police officer.
At the time, the most perceptive Zimbabweans questioned why their country would promote violent protests in the US as if it intended to install a puppet government over there? No satisfactory answer was found.
Fast forward, recently the Republican Presidential candidate, Nimarata Nikki Haley, was at it again telling Fox News during an interview that the United States was supposed to stop giving aid to its enemies, namely China, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.
She went on to describe Zimbabwe as the most anti-American African country there is.
The propensity of US politicians to lie with a straight face is worrisome.
These are the same people who could not find weapons of mass distraction in Iraq despite that being the main reason for invading the Middle Eastern country in 2003. However, as for Haley, it is not clear whether she is just plain stupid or uncultured.
One would expect a person who wants to be the next US President to know that Zimbabwe does rely on aid from her country.
What the US terms humanitarian aid is in actual fact funding for illegal regime change.
If indeed Haley wanted the US to cut ties with all countries that are not in partnership with it, she should have added the country of her forefathers, India.
Despite the undue pressure from the US, India has remained steadfast in its co-operation with Russia, refusing to condemn the conflict in Ukraine and not joining Western sanctions against Moscow.
Do not get me wrong; India has the right to associate with whomever it so chooses, however, the development just shows how much of a hypocrite Haley is.
As for the aid mentioned by Haley, the misconception in her utterances was thinking that the US has leverage over China, Pakistan and Zimbabwe because of aid.
She failed to realise that US aid is an albatross around the necks of whoever receives it as it comes with conditions.
Some countries have been arm-twisted to accept the abominable same-sex relationships and marriages because of aid. Zimbabwe does not need that kind of assistance; that comes with conditions.
For the record, Zimbabwe does not consider itself America's adversary. To quote His Excellency President Mnangagwa, who said, "We prefer having friends and allies to having unhelpful adversity with any other nation including the USA."
Again, Zimbabweans have come to the understanding that the US does not have their interests at heart, but is simply after the mineral wealth of their country.
When the indigenous people were fighting for independence, America was one of the countries that helped the Rhodesian Government bust British sanctions.
On the other hand, the Russians and the Chinese have stood with Zimbabwe since the liberation struggle.
The two nations treat Zimbabwe as an equal partner and do not meddle in her internal affairs.
The Southern African country does not ask for much, except to be accorded the same respect it accords other sovereign nations.
Zimbabwe only wants the illegal sanctions imposed by the West to be removed unconditionally.
These restrictive measures have caused untold suffering to ordinary citizens and slowed down the country's economic recovery.
Source - The Herald
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