Zimbabwe’s ruling party vilifies the opposition as American puppets. But the party itself had strong ties to the US

BROOKS MARMON

THE Zimbabwe African National Union–Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF), which has governed Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, is well known for denouncing the United States’ role as a superpower that polices the world.

In a 2007 address at the United Nations, then Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe assailed his American counterpart, George W. Bush. Mugabe charged: his hands drip with innocent blood of many nationalities. He kills in Iraq. He kills in Afghanistan. And this is supposed to be our master on human rights?

Confrontation with the US, a recurrent feature of Zimbabwe’s political history since the 1960s, surged after Washington adopted a bipartisan sanctions package in 2001. The European Union also imposed sanctions.

US officials have repeatedly stated that the sanctions target specific individuals or entities that have abused human rights or undermined democracy. Zanu-PF has responded by pointing to UN reporting which notes that the sanctions have weakened the country’s economy and impeded national development.

I am a