Zimbabwe: retrospect and prospect

The current crisis in Zimbabwe is centred, in most Western reports, on the figure of President Robert Mugabe, in office since independence in 1980. If the crisis were indeed due largely or wholly to him, his leaving the scene in one way or another might seem likely to bring an end to the impasse. That may be a necessary but it is certainly not a sufficient condition for peace in Zimbabwe, however. The complex political and economic history of the country explains the rise and longevity in office of Mugabe and his party, ZANU-PF, and the legacies of that history have to be grappled with in determining how Zimbabwe can come to peace under any successor. Unless the issues are resolved within Zimbabwe, primarily by its own people, no long-term solution will be found.