US dislike for liberation movements palpable
WE have said it before, and we will say it again; it is, and will always be, wrong for anyone, particularly our people, to think that the Biden administration represents a profound departure from the preceding Trump administration when it comes to tangible African interests.
The behaviour of US officials to Zimbabwe and their utterances over the years have amply demonstrated Washington’s inherent dislike for former liberation movements and their sovereign states, especially in Southern Africa.
While we may be keen to re-engage countries like the US, the attitude of the country’s officials clearly exposes the open hostility by the US Government to the ZANU PF Party.
To appreciate our relations with the US and its allies, we must dig deeper into our history to understand who we are and who they are.
Given the trail of destruction which represents US foreign policy in Haiti, Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, the Congo and Libya, surely we must not be surprised.
While the US chaotic elections might be looked upon as an in-house matter and prove them to be charlatans when it comes to democracy in Zimbabwe, they all are in accord.
The illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe are not a joke and an issue to be trivialised, they stand.
Past presidents, including the first African American, Barrack Obama, have been unrelenting on these inhuman sanctions, thus we must realise that Biden will not turn out to be a saint in this regard.
Biden is probably one of the few Americans who knows the intended effects of this harsh legislation.
This is so since he was one of the four Senators who sponsored the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic RecoveryAct (ZDERA) in 2001.
And the intended effect of this hostile piece of legislation was to ensure that Zimbabwe would be financially crippled.
This would, among other measures, deny Zimbabwe access to debt relief and lines of credit from the World Bank, IMF and African Development Bank.
This in turn would lower investor confidence, thereby discouraging foreign direct investment.
No wonder Chester Crocker talked about making the ‘economy scream’ so that the electorate would ditch ZANU PF.
This is morally repulsive, but it is the reality.
Again we will repeat, our fate is in our hands, our future will be determined by us and no other.
And let us pay tribute to our recently fallen heroes and heroine.
I am more saddened for future generations who will not benefit from the wisdom and (hi)story of these gallant sons and daughters of the soil.
Theirs is a story of service.
Service offered unconditionally to the motherland.
They fought against divisions.
They fought for tolerance.
They fought for unity and love.
We are on the path to developing our country as a united people, bound by one common goal.
A goal towards creating a future of plenty for the current and future generations. A goal of maintaining and preserving the liberation struggle ideals.
A goal towards preserving the legacy of our history.
That is a history that can never be negated, not even for pieces of silver or friendships that come with impossible conditions.
The US and its allies must realise that Zimbabwe wants to re-engage but not because that is the only option available.
In this multi-polar world, it is possible to embark on a new economic model, without dependence on the the US — it is no longer the global economic giant.
That myth is blown.