Exiled former Minister of Foreign Affairs Walter Mzembi says there is nothing to celebrate about with regards to American President Joe Biden’s Executive Order on sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.
According to Mzembi an International Relations guru, America made a tactical move, not necessarily removal of sanctions.
He writes:
EXECUTIVE ORDER ON TERMINATION OF EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO THE SITUATION IN ZIMBABWE- My two cents
Welcome News and Bravo to Zimbabwe Government Reengagement efforts but hang on the devil is in the detail, as the old adage goes!
So while an Executive Order by Joe Biden screams the Removal of Sanctions the finer details and concurrent action from other Departments keeps the import of restrictions on trade with Zimbabwe in place.
Zimbabwean legislation pronounced in the Constitution and its various Acts has all key resources “vested” in the President who remains together with his Vice President and with new additions of family and close associates on personal targeted Sanctions.
Zimbabwe is not America where you can separate the State from these powerful individuals and their decisions.
They are conflated, and if the USA hopes to leverage its new pronouncements on No Sanctions on the State but individuals to further its own Resources, Supply Chain, Trade & Investment interests then it is in for a rude shock. Nothing has happened as far as the ZANU-PF Government is concerned as long as its leadership remains under Sanctions.
Going further into this debate, on what could be influencing softening of relations, USA does not want to lose influence on the State to Russia, China and other satellites like Belarus whose friendship with Zimbabwe has not been a secret and whose reciprocal visits may actually have put the First Lady under spotlight.
In the Global Supply Chain war, the USA is very actively reexamining its options and hoping to keep some influential and well resourced countries under its orbit, the only oversight being the fact that African Presidents outlive American Presidents in office.
Mugabe was in office for 37 years and saw the back of many American Presidents, so did Fidel Castro of Cuba.
President @edmnangagwa has his sight on 2030 and beyond and will hold the US to account no doubt as long as he is in office, his successor too if it becomes his VP also sanctioned.
So what’s the point of announcing something that is not implementable? Its all Public Relations by Biden to say we have removed Sanctions when infact its just recasting the status quo. Perhaps tired of the annual noise from @SADC_News & @_AfricanUnion
on Zimbabwe Anti Sanctions day and the well lobbied. @UN General Assembly addresses by Heads of State pointing at the iniquity of Sanctions, @POTUS decided to give something while retaining the sting which is the targeted Sanctions.
Recently we have been reading news reports of sponsorship of South Africa in the USA Congress for Sanctions over its Foreign Policy positions deemed to be threatening their interests as in the ICJ case and Russia Ukraine war.
Can USA afford to have both RSA and Zimbabwe in one corner, so could this review be partly influenced by future actions in the Region.
But perhaps it is the backfooting of Human Rights issues & the Democratic agenda and attendant Reforms previously high on the laundry list of US State Department inorder to normalise relations with Zimbabwe which has been the biggest casualty of this revocation of the 2003 Executive Order renewed many times in subsequent years.
Coincidentally the agenda of Opposition Parties in Zimbabwe too, it means a setback for this constituency and leadership and certainly loss of influence in Washington.
I pointed out a week ago in my post on the power of the Deep State this diplomacy deficit and the shift by the international community on better dealing with the devil they know than plunge into the unknown, recent uninspiring events and decisions of the Opposition ranks and its fragmentation having been the final nail on the coffin. New politics is required going forward.
Zwnews
