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Stephen Mpofu

The heading for this discourse is no doubt a big question that today finds itself paraded not only on the lips of patriotic Zimbabweans but also on those of the leaders of Sadc and of  the African Union who have repeatedly called for the lifting of illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by Western countries to try to effect regime change as punishment for land reform implemented by the Zanu-PF government nearly two decades ago.

The answer to the question is embedded in the rhetoric of American President Mr Donald Trump when announcing earlier this week his administration’s extension of the economic and financial embargo on our country by another year.

But you (yes, you) must still take recourse to international political dynamics to unravel the truth of what Mr Trump meant when he said that the reason for continuing with the sanctions was that the policies of Zimbabwe’s new government continued to pose an “unusual and extraordinary” threat to US  foreign policy.

Mr Trump’s mention of the alleged threat posed by the policies of our government confirms the fact that any continued clout by big, call them world powers if you will,  is premised on strong international alliances politically, economically and ideologically that serve as support structures for the big guys.

Now, by going back to all-weather allies during the freedom struggle, namely China and Russia which President Mnangagwa visited recently for support in resuscitating  an economy ravaged by sanctions imposed by America and her Western allies, Zimbabwe is blacklisted as posing a threat to USA’s foreign  policy because it continues to rub shoulders with communists that capitalist America ideologically regards as pathological enemies that no civilised countries should rub shoulders with either economically or politically.

Which in the case in point above laughably suggests that empty Zimbabwean stomachs pose no threat to American foreign policy in the sense that this country when faced with hunger as a result of her shattered economy will be forced to rush to Washington carrying begging bowls with their backs turned on America’s external ideological foes.

The belief in Washington as well as in the capitals of America’s allies is that by kow-towing to the West Zimbabwe will continue ideologically to be an ally of the imperialist West and in that way also pose no threat to the foreign policies of Western bloc countries.

Moreover, it should not be forgotten that America’s foreign policy enjoys support from that country’s political constituency in Zimbabwe in the form of the political opposition to the Zanu-PF.

In the circumstances,  the USA no doubt fears that not only will that country’s constituency be seriously weakened or curtailed altogether by a prevalence of strong Eastern support and influence given to Zimbabwe, but that the regime change project  pursued by the USA and her other Western allies will become a nullity.

Therefore, the foregoing should dispel any belief among Zimbabweans that the Trump administration has the interests of people of this country at heart and not working to ensure that its own influence holds sway not only in our motherland but also in other free and independent African states rich in mineral and other resources which cause watering mouths in West.

In fact, one would have thought and expected that the Zimbabwean government’s current efforts at rapprochement with her enemies and other states would have elicited not only applause but encouragement and support by the US and other countries and not suffer the rhetoric vilification from Washington on top of the continued economic sanctions.

Thus all the above must serve as a wakeup call to all Zimbabweans to realise that only they and not other people took up arms to free themselves from colonial enslavement by the West and that only they and not other people elsewhere are guarantors of their survival and continued guidance by the never-dying spirit of the revolution that helped them in the struggle for freedom and independence that everyone enjoys today.