Now That's Insightful

The International Herald Tribune, a New York Times Company (NYT), has come up with an insightful headline for the ongoing disaster in Zimbabwe. The situation is due to Robert Mugabe's insatiable desire to hold on to power, despite losing elections that he attempted to rig and yet still managed to lose - which is why he's down to arresting and intimidating the opposition.

Mugabe's Future May Hold Key To Resolving Zimbabwe's Crisis.

Resolving the thorny question of Robert Mugabe's fate may hold the key to breaking the impasse over Zimbabwe's disputed presidential vote.

Mugabe has not himself suggested he would be willing to step aside if he were granted immunity for alleged human rights abuses and allowed to fade into comfortable retirement.

But others in Africa have made that case for him — saying that as a one-time lion of African liberation he deserves a dignified exit, and that other African strongmen have followed that path.

Recent flexibility within his own party could signal movement toward such an arrangement. The strongest sign has been a proposal by Mugabe's ZANU-PF to share power with the opposition.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change rejects that, saying its leader Morgan Tsvangirai won outright. But the ZANU-PF overture hints at a dawning realization in the Mugabe camp that it has lost its iron grip on power.

They could have run this story a month ago and it would have been relevant. Now? Not so much as the New York Times reports that Mugabe's busy rounding up the opposition and cracking down as the "recount" shows Mugabe's party picking up seats in the Legislature that he had lost based on the original count.

Heavily armed police officers raided the headquarters of Zimbabwe’s main opposition party in Harare, the capital, on Friday, detaining hundreds of its supporters, the party said. The police confirmed the raid and said they had rounded up people they believed had committed crimes outside Harare.

In a separate raid on the offices of independent election observers, the police seized vote count materials, The Associated Press reported.

The actions were among the most aggressive in a crackdown that followed disputed elections nearly four weeks ago.

The opposition party’s spokesman, Nqobizitha Mlilo, said in an e-mailed statement that about 200 to 250 heavily armed police officers had raided the offices of the party, the Movement for Democratic Change. Other reports put the number of police officers at dozens.

There's still no word on the actual vote tally for President.

Besides, I was suggesting the need for a golden parachute on April 1, and indeed reiterated that belief on April 4.

The problem facing Mugabe hasn't changed as he lost the election. The problem is that the opposition is now in no position to deal with Mugabe as his thugs are busy cracking down on the opposition. Mugabe has given himself breathing room because he's in the process of breaking the opposition. With world opinion incapable of getting Mugabe to step aside, and Zimbabwe's neighbors powerless to take action, Mugabe will continue to limp along in power, and Zimbabwe's people will continue to suffer from his ruinous power-grab that continues a disastrous run as head of Zimbabwe.