It says much about the state of African politics, and the credibility of the United Nations (UN), that Francis Nhema, Zimbabwe's minister for environment and tourism, was elected last Saturday to head the UN Commission on Sustainable Development.
Evidently it doesn't matter that Nhema belongs to a government that has effectively destroyed the agricultural base of a once proud farming nation.
When I visited in 1991, Zimbabwe also had huge and healthy elephant population and well managed national parks.
I don't know how the elephant population is holding-up, but there is apparently an acute food shortage now, rationing of electricity, and official inflation is running at about 2,200 percent annually.
If the UN Commission needed to be headed by an African - I might have nominated someone from South Africa. What were the Africans thinking when they nominated Nhema from Zimbabwe?
Apologies to Ian my last post should have been aimed at Thurkettle
'if we're going to allow these people to take part in civilized matters' - Ian
'allow these people' Motty?...Typing with that pillowcase over your head again?
I have heard that Robert Mugabe is about to publish a book linking inflation in his country to Global Warming. He offers the clear negative correlation between rising Zimbabwe inflation and declining rainfall in Australia as proof. He is delaying publication until the rainfall trend in Australia becomes clearer. If the El Nino cycle is over for now, and rainfall rises again, he may predict a corresponding fall in Zimbabwe inflation. I expect he will get the Nobel Prize in economics, the Field Medal for statistics, and a few honorary doctorates in climate science to boot. If he doesn't get them from the usual sources, he will award them to himself. Remember Field Marshall Dr. Idi Amin Dada VC, DSO etc? Hear and tremble ye unbelievers. Ex Africa semper aliquid novi.
If exercising a duty of care to the Zimbabwean people amounts to Aryan paternalism, then the option is clear: Zimbabwe should have no place among civilized nations, and certainly not in a responsible position with the United Nations. We should, indeed, walk away.
Or perhaps we should even take pains to preserve their quaint folkways and forms of government; sort of like preserving biodiversity, only it's politicodiversity.
On the other hand, if we're going to allow these people to take part in civilized matters, and truly believe it is better to be civilized than not, then we have a duty to help those in need.
I fully realize that there are many who are against civilization--they work tirelessly against anything which appears to have progressed beyond the state of the art in Europe ca. 1200 a.d.
People who prefer a more general well-being aren't necessarily Aryan paternalists.
But Lamna, if you truly believe what you say, I suggest you give up your internet connection and go live in Zimbabwe.
'1st world making high profile moralistic judgements and then walking away from their duty of care to the Zimbawean people.' - Ian
Paternalistic Aryan nonsense Motty.
Neat attempt at a sidestep, Lamna, but no, there is not the slightest hint that I am promoting apartheid. What I am pointing out is that there is an obligation on the part of of anyone involved in promoting change to ensure that those changes are beneficial.
Zimbabwe is another case of the 1st world making high profile moralistic judgements and then walking away from their duty of care to the Zimbawean people.
Was this harm reasonably foreseeable? Yes.
Were reasonable and practical steps taken to minimise this harm? No.
Whitlam did it in Timor, Fraser did it in Zimbabwe.
'undermining the position of the Smith regime.' - Ian
Motty are you promoting apartheid as a form of government?...
Pinxi,
Nice comment. Now tell us how it's bright, smart, well-advised to appoint Zimbabwe's minister for environment and tourism to head the UN Commission on Sustainable Development.
You all seem to hold the absolute answers. Shriller reckons the US world police is not complicit in any African problems or any other international affairs. Next he'll tell us that externally imposed nation states helped African countries move from feudalism towards modern development. You're all wrong. Someone honest & decent from Aust, eg AWB, should have been appointed instead.
Lamna Nasus, you appear to be ignorant of the role of CHOGM in undermining the position of the Smith regime. Mal Fraser took a leading role in establishing and maintaining Commonwealth sanctions against the Rhodesians and it was this continued pressure that gifted victory to Mugabe.
Insiders already knew perfectly well what sort of regime he would produce and this was a major motivator of Rhodesian persistence in a war they were actually winning. But Fraser, either unwittingly or deliberately, continued to portray Mugabe to the world as some sort of moderate social democrat.
The facts speak for themselves.