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Zimbabwe Foreign Policy and Government Guide ... Read more

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The Moral Economy of the State examines state formation in Zimbabwe from the colonial period through the first decade of independence. Drawing on the works of Gramsci, E. P. Thompson, and James Scott, William Munro develops a theory of "moral economy" that explores negotiations between rural citizens and state agents over legitimate state incursions in social life. This analysis demonstrates how states try to shape the meanings of citizenship for agrarian populations by redefining conceptions of the public good, property rights, and community membership.

The book's focus on the moral economy of the state offers a refreshing perspective on the difficulties experienced by postcolonial African states in building stronger state and rural institutions. ... Read more

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Geoff Hill takes the reader inside Robert Mugabe’s party, ZANU-PF, and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. The author has met with members of both parties who have been prepared to talk candidly with him, giving him behind-the-scenes information. The book considers the role of critics and observers - the role and treatment of the press within Zimbabwe, and the often contradictory responses to Mugabe from the international community. It also looks at the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans living in a collapsing economy. Finally, it considers Zimbabwe’s future - the challenge that lies ahead to rebuild the country. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A suffering people's long struggle for democracy and freedom
This title is my favourite on the crisis in Zimbabwe. Geoff Hill has best described the crisis unfolding in his own country through the eyes of Zimbabweans who give first hand accounts of a tragic situation in their own country. This book discusses in visual terms the historical backdrop that lead up to the tyranny of Robert Mugabe who presided over the destruction of what was seen as one of Africa's most promising countries only 25 years ago. Hill offers thought provoking insights of his own about the political turmoil and economic collapse in Zimbabwe and how the international community including Zimbabwe's regional neighbors like South Africa should confront this crisis. It also shows the courage and determination of Zimbabwe's people including opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai who want to live in a democratic society where they can freely express their views openly and where their long suffering country regains it's respectful place in the international community of nations.

Brilliant book
I absolutely loved this book.I read it with amazement as I compared the events of my time in Zimbabwe to the behind the scenes information presented in the book.I was amazed at just how much was never put on air for the general public to be aware of and also to know the depth of the people's convictions (even when they are wrong) and their willingness to act it out was very intriguing to me.Well written book I even learnt some things about my history I was unaware of.I can't wait for the next book.

Excellent book for a select audience
The title says it, his book is excellent, written very well, blending the facts and interviews in a flow that makes it easy to read, but i would say it could prove very hard reading if you are not familiar with the area or African politics. I would not give this book to someone to read unless they were from Zimbabwe or studying the history of the country.

What i enjoyed most, having lived in Zimbabwe until 2004 is the book explains the reasons behind what happened, even living in Zimbabwe all my life i have learnt facts i never knew before, it does not change the way i feel but it does give me greater understanding.

As i said, unless you are Zimbabwean, have lived in Zimbabwe or studying the history of the area, this book may prove tough going.

Indeed worth reading!!!
I am originally from Zimbabwe, but left in 1981.I was looking for
a book on the history and current situation on Zimbabwe that would
be informative and not dry.I feel very much more educated about
the various issues that have led this beautiful country to the
very sad situation it now finds itself in.I definately would
suggest others read it.

A solid piece
With a deep understanding and love for this magnificent country, Hill lays out an excellent expos? over Zimbabwe's rise and unfortunate fall under the rule of President Mugabe. By elegantly blending historical events with a large number of interviews from both ZANU-PF officials and the MDC opposition to ordinary Zimbabweans, Hill has created a solid piece that is thorough and analytical but yet easy-to-read. Highly recommended for any reader in search of the root and underlying causes to Zimbabwe's worsening plight. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The 2008 Zimbabwean cholera outbreak is an ongoing cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe that began in August 2008, swept across the country and spread to Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia. By 10 January 2010 there had been 98,741 reported cases and 4,293 deaths making it the deadliest African cholera outbreak in the last 15 years. The Zimbabwean government declared the outbreak a national emergency and requested international aid. The principal cause of the outbreak is lack of access to safe water in urban areas. This is due to the collapse of the urban water supply, sanitation and garbage collection systems, along with the onset of the rainy season leading to faeces with cholera bacteria being washed into water sources, in particular public drains, as well as providing readily available but contaminated water. ... Read more

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Chapters: Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, List of Presidents of Zimbabwe. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 42. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Robert Gabriel Mugabe (Shona pronunciation: , English: ; born 21 February 1924) is the second and current President of Zimbabwe. One of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power as the head of government since 1980, as Prime Minister from 1980 to 1987, and as the first executive head of state since 1987. Mugabe rose to prominence in the 1960s as the Secretary General of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) during the conflict against the white-minority rule regime of Ian Smith. Mugabe was a political prisoner in Rhodesia for more than 10 years between 1964 to 1974. Upon release with Edgar Tekere, Mugabe left Rhodesia in 1975 to re-join the Zimbabwe Liberation Struggle (Rhodesian Bush War) from bases in Mozambique. At the end of the war in 1979, Mugabe emerged as a hero in the minds of many Africans. He won the general elections of 1980, the second in which the majority of Black Africans participated in large numbers (though the electoral system in Rhodesia had allowed Black participation based on qualified franchise). Mugabe then became the first Prime Minister after calling for reconciliation between formerly warring parties, including the white people as well as rival parties. The years following Zimbabwe's independence saw a split between the two key belligerents who had fought alongside each other during the 1970s against the government of Rhodesia. An armed conflict between Mugabe's Government and dissident followers of Joshua Nkomo's pro-Marxist ZAPU erupted. Following the deaths of thousands, neither warring faction able to defeat the other, the heads of the oppos...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=17380298 ... Read more

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Chapters: Zimbabwe Government of National Unity of 2009, House of Assembly of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Temporary Cabinet of 2009, Zimbabwe Cabinet of 2008, Dumiso Dabengwa, Martin Dinha, Faber Chidarikire, Willard Chiwewe, Council of Ministers of Zimbabwe, Senate of Zimbabwe, Lookout Masuku, Zimra, Thamsanqa Mahlangu, Walter Mzembi, Fidelis Mhashu, Elton Mangoma, Theresa Makoni, Joel Gabuza, Paurine Mpariwa, Samuel Sipepa Nkomo, Henry Madzorera, List of Provincial Governors of Zimbabwe, Ministry of Agriculture, Sekai Holland, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Women's Affairs, Gender and Community Development, Cabinet of Zimbabwe, Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Ministry of Local Government and Urban Development, Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture, Growth Point, Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority, Ministry of Media, Information and Publicity, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Ministry of Regional Integration and International Cooperation, Ministry of Energy and Power Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, Ministry of Economic Planning and Investment Promotion, Ministry of State Enterprise and Parastatals, Ministry of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment, Ministry of Public Service, Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Environment, Sylvester Nguni, Evelyn Masaiti, Samuel Undenge, Jameson Timba, Minister of State in the President's Office, Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, Sesel Zvidzai, Murisi Zwizwai, Jessie Majome, Michael Bimha, Ministry of Water Resources and Development, Moses Ndlovu, Andrew Langa, Reuben Marumahoko, Ministry of Finance, Lutho Tapela, Ministry of Science and Technology...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=21354716 ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Africa & The Middle East Telecom, published by Information Gatekeepers, Inc. on December 1, 2002. The length of the article is 411 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Zimbabwe's government decides to break state-held telecom monopoly. (Zimbabwe).
Publication: Africa & The Middle East Telecom (Newsletter)
Date: December 1, 2002
Publisher: Information Gatekeepers, Inc.
Volume: 3Issue: 12Page: 8(2)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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Zimbabwe is a country both blessed and cursed. Arriving to work at the British Embassy in Zimbabwe, Philip Barclay found a temperate paradise and a sophisticated and charming population. But during a three-year stay in what used to be Africa's finest country, he saw it ruined by violence and grotesque economic mismanagement. Philip Barclay was at the centre of the tumultuous events of 2008. Zimbabwe's people voted against Robert Mugabe, but their desire for change was denied as vicious squads of indoctrinated youths loyal to the ageing dictator launched a campaign of murder, rape, and destruction. In the wake of such terror, the country's economy and public services collapsed, leading to widespread poverty and epidemics of diseases that Zimbabwe had not seen in living memory. This electrifying account records the violent excesses of a hated clique prepared to do anything to cling to power. It asks why the world stood by and watched as Zimbabwe burned and questions whether power-sharing between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai offers the way forward which the country needs.An honest account of a diplomat's confrontation with a brutal dictatorship, "Zimbabwe" is also a personal story of the resilience - despite their daily experience of despair and death - of Zimbabwe's people. ... Read more

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Proud, ruthless and erratic, Robert Mugabe is a unique figure. Almost alone among today's African presidents, Mugabe led the struggle against colonial rule and has dominated his country since independence. David Blair was forced to leave Zimbabwe in June 2001 as Mugabe sought to silence the media. Before then, he witnessed every twist and turn of the country's drama. This is the story from the hopeful era of new independence to the present reality of farm invasions, food riots, fuel queues and a terror campaign waged by Mugabe's supporters. From white farmers who live as if the colonial era had never ended, to a paranoid government and its often inept opposition, Blair exposes the wilfulness and folly that lie behind the crises in Zimbabwe. In this new paperback edition Blair examines the events leading up to and during the 2002 elections. The months filled with violence, media clampdowns and political manoeuvrings brought almost inevitable results. Now with Mugabe back in office, internationally isolated and on the brink of famine, what does the future hold for Zimbabwe? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

We need better analysis than from "parachute journalists"
The growing corpus of work on the contemporary history of Zimbabwe is welcome. The only discomfort for me as a reader is that most of these books are being penned by arm-chair analysts based in Western think-tanks, or foreign journalists who spend a few months in the country and suddenly profess to be experts in their chosen field of political analysis. Nonetheless, Blair's book contributes to the interpretation of recent events taking place in the country despite the fact that, sadly, one cannot help but notice that his chronicle of the unfolding tragedy of Zimbabwe is clouded by his obvious dislike of Robert Gabriel Mugabe. He attacks the "small man" who far from resembling an African despot looks like the primary schoolteacher he once was, who is curiously anglicized, and who goes to immense trouble over his appearance. About his intellect, he describes Mugabe's political thought and collected writings as "indistinguishable from that of any illiterate rebel". Blair also reduces Mugabe's character to an inherent character flaw that is explained by his tragic upbringing which engendered what he calls a paranoid individual, vulnerable to a minority (Zezuru) complex. For an analysis of contemporary Zimbabwe that strives to sober and objective I recommend the book by Martin Meredith (Our Guns, Our Votes).

Robert Mugabe: a contender for power
Africa is not cursed with a supernatural phenomena or aura of failure in development and growth; this belief is a travesty, since failure all waters down to human error, nothing more. Indifferent and corrupt leaders have played such a nasty role in their countries' demise (with help from varying colonial legacies), with Zimbabwe being a contemporary example of this kind of demise. Some six million Zimbabwean civilians are in danger of starving to death by the end of 2002. A Catholic Bishop in the country has admitted that the economy is in tatters and completely bankrupt because of the government's incompetence and mismanagement. Foreign investment is shying away from the country because of its horrific blight of corruption and social anarchy, with government mobs running affairs and intimidating any slivers of opposition, real or imagined. Thanks to Robert Mugabe, the country's xenophobic, racist despot, Zimbabwe is now a pariah state, teetering on the edge of an uncertain abyss.

It was not always this way, writes journalist David Blair (who for a twenty-nine year-old has seen more than what others have seen in an entire lifetime). His book is an exhaustive recounting of the contemporary history and situation in Zimbabwe, beginning around January 2000, when Mugabe attempted to change the country's constitution to suit his agenda, and the country refused, throwing him his first political defeat since 1980. His book, along with another by Martin Meredith, serves as the only two recent works about the country. While Meredith is more concerned with the historical pattern of power accumulation at the hands of Mugabe, as well as keeping Mugabe as the focal point in his work (it is also largely a biography), Blair is more concerned with the present. His first two chapters are historical, albeit brief, providing background to Mugabe's life, past brutality and ideas as to how he ticks. The rest deals with the years 2000-2001, written in a first-person narrative because he was present as a journalist for the British "Daily Telegraph" paper until he was forced to leave the country in mid-2001 (as part of a wholesale crackdown on independent, foreign journalists by Mugabe and his ruling Zanu-PF party).

Blair has much to recount about the regime's brutality and determination to keep in power, irrespective of the crucial human and financial costs. Important foreign aid that should have gone to lawful and equitable land reform and development instead would go to a Mugabe family mansion, or perhaps a new Mercedes-Benz, or perhaps to keep Zimbabwe's forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo (in itself an ambiguous decision, since those profiting from the Congo's diamond riches were all Zanu-PF people). Blair argues that Mugabe amounts to nothing more than a corrupt, aging despot whose sole intention is to keep in power; everything that he has done has been aimed toward this `vision.'

The ironic comparisons between Robert Mugabe and Ian Smith, the last white ruler of what was then called Rhodesia, are striking, since both were bitter enemies, yet have both unwittingly complimented one another. Mugabe has been no different from Smith - racism, xenophobia, brutal suppression of opposition, and more were traits of both leaders. Says Blair: "Neither should have been allowed anywhere near running a country. Smith's true station in life was, perhaps, treasurer of a provincial rugby club. Mugabe would have made an excellent junior lecturer at the Revolutionary University of Havana. It was their country's enduring tragedy that these men were given such power" (p. 244).

On a final note, Blair writes that Smith's UDI from the UK in 1965 and resulting rule was ultimately self-defeating. It remains to be seen if Mugabe's rule will end as Smith's did; his rule has already ingrained lots of self-defeat for everyone and everything in Zimbabwe. Who knows what the future still holds? If Mugabe has followed in the footsteps of his predecessor up to now, who is to say that he won't follow through all the way to the bitter end? ... Read more

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What really went wrong in Zimbabwe? The promise of liberation, human rights, democracy, development, and prosperity have been shattered by greed, state-sponsored violence, and tyranny. Yet the discourse on Zimbabwe has been polarized along racial and political lines. There is need for a critical analysis of Zimbabwe beyond these polarizations.

Horace Campbell looks at Zimbabwe’s problems today, including the recent state and ruling party violence against citizens as manifestations of and deriving directly from the masochist, militaristic, and gender-biased conception of liberation which is deeply imbedded in the post-independent state. In his exploration and analysis of Zimbabwe’s experiences, from the transition to independence, to the crisis ravaging the country today, Campbell places issues like Zimbabwe’s involvement in the Congo, executive lawlessness, the land crisis, homophobia, and the politics of intolerance into perspective.

Chapters like "Soldiers in Business," "The Siege of Ikeka," and "The Limits of Military Intervention" provide fresh information on some of the motives behind the military intervention in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the futility of the presence of the Zimbabwean army in the Congo.

Campbell also argues that the politics of emancipation, militarism, and patriarchy are exhausted models of liberation and suggests new models of liberation for economic prosperity, human rights, political tolerance, non-discrimination, peace, and stability.

While this book is a serious and critical analysis of the Zimbabwean situation, it is also a very informative and general read. ... Read more

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The book explains, for the first time, how Zimbabwe's smallholders brought about agricultural and social transformations in the 1980s and diverged from the African norm of "urban bias." Drawing from field research findings, the book illustrates how these transformations affected a range of rural households and, most importantly, provides a political explanation for the transformations which includes the political voice of smallholders. Three conditions have been important in the development of smallholder voice and influence: a rural-based ruling coalition; rural organizations and farmer unions; and regular multi-party elections. Smallholder influence helped bring independence and, afterwards, the sustained redistribution of agricultural and social services and consistent rises in producer prices which made rural transformation possible. In sum, the book demonstrates that, in an African country, small-scale farmers can express political voice, influence government and transform rural life. ... Read more

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Because of its wide coverage and acute analysis of issues, institutions, and interest groups, State Politics in Zimbabwe provides the best single source for understanding the politics of post-independence Zimbabwe. Jeffrey Herbst avoids the grand generalizations that characterize so much theorizing about African politics. Instead, and despite the tendency to depict African politics in a deinstitutionalized setting, he poses a series of questions of interest to political scientists and policy makers which focus on state institutions and yield testable propositions about state autonomy and allocation processes: Under what circumstances are interest groups able to influence government decisions to allocate resources? When are institutions or leaders relatively immune to popular pressures? What factors determine which part of the state will prevail in allocation decisions? How do the structure and relative influence of state institutions affect allocation?These general questions are addressed through seven specific case studies of decision-making in Zimbabwe which focus on: 1) the new black government's efforts to resettle black farmers on formerly white-owned land; 2) who received that land ; 3) the setting of agricultural producer prices; 4) foreign investment policy; 5) the confrontation between the government and large mining transnationals; 6) the allocation of health care resources; and 7) the setting of wage levels.Material from the case studies informs broader analyses of the politics of racial accommodation, the interplay of ideology and pragmatism, the role of the ruling party, and the leadership of Robert Mugabe. ... Read more

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Instead of leading his people to the "promised land," Mugabe, the first prime minister of the newly-named Zimbabwe, has amassed a fortune for himself, his family and followers and has presided over the murder, torture and starvation of those who oppose him.

This biography offers some explanations for Mugabe’s behavior. With the death of his wife in 1992, a moderating influence was lost, and as the years go by, he continues to show himself intolerant of any opposition as he proceeds toward the creation of a one-party state, even though evidence suggests that his country is in terminal decline. ... Read more