Throwing Stones

News came this morning that the Bush Administration is expanding sanctions against the Zimbabwe government lead by Robert Mugabe. Mugabe has served as the head of the Zimbabwe government since 1980, as Prime Minister from 1980 to 1987 and as the first executive President since 1987. But while it maybe a “given” that the Mugabe government is indeed a dictatorial regime, should anyone be surprised at the turn of events in this African nation? One might also ask: Is U.S. policy towards Zimbabwe another faux pas in failing to recognize one of the key issues at the core of the suffering of African people?

In this week’s announcement, the Bush Administration calls the Mugabe government “illegitimate" -- as well as not reflecting the will of the Zimbabwean people. The United States and Great Britain have also faulted Mugabe for his antagonistic attitude towards Western Nations. While not beatifying or even vindicating Robert Mugabe, perhaps one should take into consideration that the “stones” being thrown by the U.S. (as well as other Western powers) come from an administration that was recognized by a decision in the U.S. Supreme Court. Quite simply, the results of the popular vote in the U.S. Presidential Election of 2000 did not favor George W. Bush. During the past eight years, Robert Mugabe’s government is not the only administration that has repeatedly been labeled “illegitimate” and not reflecting the will of the people.

Perhaps one should also recall that for many years in the 1960s and 70s, Mugabe was a political prisoner in Rhodesia (now called Zimbabwe). His goal was to replace white minority-rule. He left Rhodesia in 1976 to join the struggle for liberation from bases in Mozambique. The war against the British-backed Rhodesian government ended in 1979 and Mugabe was hailed by Africans as a hero. He won the general election of 1980, the first in which the majority black Africans participated. Is it any wonder that he is antagonistic towards those powers which represent the oppression that held him and so many other Black Africans prisoner for decades?

As so many of us witnessed during Pope Benedict’s visit to the U.S. this past spring, admitting fault and culpability (in the Church’s case, the child-abuse scandals) can be an incredible instrument for silencing detractors as well as empowering reconciliation and healing. Perhaps those calling for the ousting of Mugabe should reflect on the models of human political behavior which have empowered him and so many others like him.