What Is Being Done About Global Poverty?

As I look back on some of my previous posts, I see that my main focus is analyzing situations around the world relating to poverty. Whether it be the Zimbabwe elections, the Millennium Development Goals, or women's relation to global poverty. I decided that the next step should be looking into what is being done to address these issues. Who are the players? What is their course of action? How is their voice being heard? (see right) I chose to explore the blogosphere this week to see what I could find. Fortunately, I came across two blogs that answered my questions from two distinctly different angles. The first, Poverty News Blog, is controlled by author Kale, who posts relevant headlines and articles related to poverty worldwide. The blog is regularly updated with new posts, but one of his earlier posts from this week entitled "A new focus for networking students: global poverty," caught my attention in its explanation of student activism for poverty. Manny Veiga, the author of the article from the Boston Globe, describes how students mostly from the Boston area, are networking, raising awareness, and holding events to promote the alleviation of poverty and reach the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. The next blog comes from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) website, which is a US government corporation that works with poor democratic countries around the world. The CEO Blog, run by Ambassador John Danilovich, is a reflection of the MCC programs and updates. Danilovich's most recent post, "Conversations on Global Poverty--From Boardrooms, to Classrooms, to Newsrooms," explains MCC's engagement with the private sector to form sustainable development in the MCC developing countries. Many are working to alleviate poverty, and through these posts, I was able to learn specifically about student organization contributions as well as business corporation contributions. I have provided my commentary on these articles below, or feel free to explore the two blogs with the links provided above.

A new focus for networking students: global poverty
Comment:

Thank you for your inspiring post on student activists in the Boston area. It is quite relieving to see that global poverty is on the forefront of main issues that students are addressing. The most interesting aspect of the Millennium Campus Network is the organization and commitment to addressing poverty. The division of categories and methods of approaching changes to poverty based on each person's specific interest is genius. Flexibility and individualism will only continue to inspire students who before may not have felt their field could contribute to this cause. Furthermore, the network and connection between universities will also inspire more universities to join the network. Independent and group network events allows wider audiences and more publicity. The workshops provided for the students are also a viable and important tool in teaching leadership. My only concern about the Millennium Campus Network is what happens after these students graduate and wish to pursue their careers in their field of interest? The Millennium Campus Network will continue to be run by newer students, but those who have gained the experience and the knowledge from workshops, fundraisers, and concerts may feel they have completed their contribution and move on to their lives. How can the network instill the social responsibility in these students that their actions and contributions should continue in their daily lives after they graduate? Also, it may be beneficial to expand the network to include private corporations, businesses, high schools, and community centers to promote that anyone can be involved and contribute regardless of age or educational experience. Expanding the network can raise more awareness, funds, and allow it to spread across the nation.

Conversations on Global Poverty--From Boardrooms, to Classrooms, to Newsrooms
Comment:

I greatly enjoyed your post on MCC's intent to engage the private sector in assisting the development of poor states. You address some important issues on how the private sector can contribute to sustainable development. I especially enjoyed your point that the private sector should be encouraged to "a strong sense of corporate social responsibility in developing countries where they do business." In a time when global poverty is on the rise, private businesses should take the extra step to forming alternative cheaper means of accessing resources in struggling countries. Although it may hurt their profit, as you stated, sustainable development is key to eradicating poverty. I only hope that the concept of social responsibility will spread beyond the private sector to governments, community centers, and other corporations. The MCC agreement with GE could do wonders in developing countries where wind energy (see left) is environmentally sustainable and affordable. Hopefully, the benefits of this will spread to developed countries so that wind energy can be one of the major steps in sustaining the environment. The MCC's integration of the private sector is highly commendable and socially just in tackling global poverty. One concern I have is how will MCC inspire private businesses to contribute besides the idea of social responsibility. While I find it to be a perfectly rational incentive, I fear that many, if not most private businesses are too concerned with making profit and will need more. Furthermore, how will MCC convince private businesses to contribute to democratic MCC countries rather than other countries MCC does not help but may be in more need? Some businesses may find MCC's guidelines of democratic states elitist and claim that the poor should not be forgotten because their governments are not democratic. If MCC is attempting to inspire the concept of social responsibility to help the poor and provide sustainable development only to its list of democratic countries, then it should promote a political incentive as well. Overall, I am looking forward to MCC's progress and deeply hope the private sector proves to be beneficial in sustainable development.

Beijing Olympics: Human Rights Abuses Addressed

The 2008 Beijing Olympics are approaching and many are torn between supporting historical athletic tradition and condemning human rights abuses worldwide. China's friendly economic relationship with the Sudanese government is concerning to several people who believe it is the moral responsibility of major powers to stop genocides. Furthermore, China has raised eyebrows in recent clashes with its declared Tibetan territory. A public response to China's actions in Darfur and Tibet is boycotting the Olympics this year. I mentioned in a previous post that China is the first nation to reach the UN Millennium Development Goals for eradicating poverty. However, does China deserve praise if it eradicates poverty in its own country but endorses poverty in another? If boycotting the Olympics can send China a strong message that it's human rights abuses are unacceptable, then it is the least the international community can do.

While powerful states have done little but acknowledge the genocide in Darfur, China has strengthened economic ties with Khartoum, Sudan's capital. A BBC article explains that "China imports two-thirds of Sudanese oil--estimated at 500,000 barrels a day. Last year, it imported a total of $4.1bn ($2.0bn) worth of goods from Sudan, mostly oil." Furthermore, the genocide worsens because China is now known as Sudan's biggest arms supplier. With a flourishing economy and abundant advanced weaponry, it will become harder to halt Sudan's destructive forces. Although the death toll in Darfur is unknown because the Sudanese government tries to conceal it as much as possible, it is estimated to be around 400,000 people since 2003. Another controversial issue is China's long relationship with Tibet. Since 1950, China has claimed Tibet to be part of its territory and enforced communist Chinese ways on it (see image to the left). Since then, Tibet has been in the spotlight as an example of an unruly Chinese regime. "Free Tibet" is a slogan and campaign that has long been publicized in film, songs, and public activist voices. Recently, riots that began as protests have broken out in Tibet as Tibetans voice their concern over a neo-colonial China attempting to integrate Tibetan economy with China. Tibetans feel their identity is threatened as neighboring Han Chinese enter the region for work and China continues to control Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and religious practices.

The main question is: what does this have to do with the 2008 Olympics? The Olympics originated in 776 BCE in Greece as a competition of the best amateur athletes in the world and has been in practice since 1896, occurring every four years. The debate against the boycotts include arguments like an athletic gathering bringing the international community together has no need to be politicized. Rather than use the Olympics as a spectacle on the host country's practices, it is in the spirit to focus on international unity and sportsmanship. China's foreign minister, Yang Jiechi agrees with these arguments when he responds to the boycotts by claiming "campaign to boycott the Olympics is 'against the spirit of the games.'" While the United States has chosen not to boycott the Olympics, the US-China Security Review Commission claims China to be a "growing economic and military threat." It can easily be claimed that the US public and other allies are using the Olympics as an excuse to publicize China's wrongdoings in hopes of denouncing it internationally and eliminating the economic threat China poses on the United States. Furthermore, many of the nations threatening to boycott the Olympics, are ones that have their own human rights violations. France, for example, has a number of anti-semitic incidents as well as excessive force by law enforcement officers, according to the US State Department. Therefore, it is hypocritical and morally unacceptable to ask China to stop its illegal practices if other countries do not as well.

While these arguments against boycott are valid, they are not convincing. State officials, celebrities, and organizations have vowed to boycott the Olympic games to send China the message that their human rights abuses will not be overlooked. French president Nicholas Sarkozy has refused an invitation to the Olympics opening games unless China complies with three conditions - "China frees political prisoners, ends violence against Tibetans and opens dialogue with the Dalai Lama." Steven Spielberg, who was meant to be artistic adviser to the 2008 Olympics, pulled out claiming China must end its assistance to the Darfur crisis. Human Rights Watch, which has vowed not to participate in the boycotts, is one of the many organizations taking a stance to raise awareness to China's human rights abuses. In an open letter to China's Ethics Commission of International Olympic Committee, Human Rights Watch describes some of China's human rights violations and ways in which the committee can manage them to make the Olympic games less controversial and politicized. In it, the organization suggests, "Articulate the ethical obligations of the movement with respect to human rights in line with the values and principles enshrined in the Olympic Charter." Reporters Without Borders is another organization (photo to the right) publicizing China's brutality to freedom of press. Through the boycott by state officials, celebrities, and organizations, a clear message is being sent to China that their actions are inexcusable. Furthermore, Chinese political issues are being publicized to a much wider audience because of these high profile boycotts.

If China continues to ignore these threats and disregard them as irrelevant to the Olympics, their economy could take a strong hit. They have been preparing for the Olympic games by rebuilding infrastructure and preparing for economic gains from tourism. E, Long Inc. is an online travel service provider in China who earns $36 million in sales yearly and is projecting to profit from the $82.6 billion Chinese travel market pie during the Olympics. With enough boycotts, China can take the international community's message seriously after its economy has taken a blow and the Olympic games are not the cash outlet they expected. The benefit of this is that without an increase in China's economic power, there will be no increase in funds for importing Sudanese oil or managing a Tibetan colony. This spotlight on China has given the international community an opportunity to investigate its practices and publicly condemn them. A blogger dedicates her entire blog, Boycott 2008 Communist Olympics, to informing the world about China's abusive practices and the progress international groups have had in protests and public letters. The blogger provides a letter by an imprisoned human rights activist, Hu Jia, who warns, "please be aware that the Olympic Games will be held in a country where there are no elections, no freedom of religion, no independent courts, no independent trade unions." These are facts that should have been addressed long ago. Now that the Olympics are providing a spotlight on China, the international community should take advantage and address China's violations to improve the lives of over 1.3 billion Chinese people and millions of others in Darfur and Tibet.

Resources: Useful Methods to End Poverty

This week, I chose to further explore the internet for more resources relevant to poverty. I used the Webby Awards judging criteria to choose websites I felt were useful as well as the IMSA criteria in my assessment of blogs. As I researched, I found websites with bountiful information relevant to the field of poverty analysis. Global Issues is a website that provides information on issues ranging from human rights to food and agriculture with an overview of each and links to current news. With so much information, it is difficult to navigate but is filled with useful content and strong functionality. The University of Wisconsin's Institute for Research on Poverty is an excellent website for information surrounding poverty in the US. Although its visual design is outdated, its scholarly content is strong and reliable. The International Monetary Fund provides statistics relating to GDP, funds, etc. on virtually any country in the world. It is well organized, making it easy to navigate and search but lacks interactivity like blogs or personal stories. The One Campaign to make poverty history is a useful and up to date website on student and country involvement in the battle against poverty. It has powerful visual design as well as informative content, stimulating photos, and interactive blogs. Poverty.com is also up to date on an hourly hunger death statistic effect it provides. Although its content is rather brief, it gives overviews on leading poverty issues as well as a useful statistics chart on international aid.

Since the majority of these websites lack interactivity, I looked to blogs using the IMSA criteria. Environmental issues can very much relate to poverty, so I found an informative blog called Globally Minded. It is regularly updated with useful posts, videos, and images surrounding the environment and eco-friendly ways of living. The International Medical Corps (IMC), one of its photos to the left, has a website dedicated to blogs to share experiences of its members working on the field. It is not regularly updated but provides powerful stories, encounters, and images by those interacting with poverty-stricken families daily. NGOs like IMC are those we depend on to fight poverty, so I chose to look at NGO Security blog that gives a different perspective of poverty by analyzing NGOs. Although its posts are brief, it is regularly updated and has been an archive of information on NGOs for three years. The Poverty Law Prof Blog also gives a different perspective, which is that of lawyers working on issues surrounding poverty. Although they are primarily domestic issues, it is relevant to understand how the law applies to them. It is regularly updated, interactive, and informative on the lawyers participating in the blog. Finally, The Face of Hunger is a blog by Ray Buchanan, the founder of Stop Hunger now. It provides his personal views and ideas surrounding current issues and his religious inspirations in why people should work to battle them. Buchanan provides relevant links, and moving photos, poetry, and prayers that apply to the battle against poverty. Overall, I was quite successful in my search for informative websites and interactive blogs to further my research on poverty.

International Women's Day: Poverty Eradication a Priority

International Women's Day was celebrated worldwide on March 8. Parades, festivals, and exhibitions marked the pride and commemoration of women's daily contributions. While joy encompassed the majority of this day, it reminded the world of the unfortunate situation women are still in. Women represent 70% of the world's poor people. In order to reduce this number, women's issues, specifically gender inequality, must be more seriously addressed. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals stresses this in one of its eight points claiming that in order to end poverty by 2015, countries must, "eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and at all levels by 2015." In light of International Women's Day, the Millennium Campaign publicized this goal to bring awareness to the poverty-stricken situation many women are in today (their image below). It serves as a reminder not only to commemorate contributions by women but also to address the inequality that keeps them from advancing out of poverty.

In most third world countries, women are far behind in economic development. Women in some Middle Eastern countries comprise of merely 18.3% of the total paid employment. Promoting equal employment has yet to be fully implemented by governments. Many women rely on micro-credit loans from international organizations because their governments cannot provide them with jobs. The UN Secretary General stated this is because governments lack a "political will" with insufficient budgets allocated to women. Vedior, an international staffing service, claims that women are "more likely than men to be employed in low-productivity, low-paid, and vulnerable jobs, with little protection or rights." While governments focus on increasing employment rates, they must include gender specific policies to ensure that women on the poverty line have an opportunity to beneficial and sustainable employment. Governments also fail to recognize that women with equal employment opportunities can have dramatically positive effects on that nation's economy. Although the United States is still behind in equal employment wages for women, a large majority of women are employed, which is a huge factor in the United State's economic improvements over the last decade. Employment is not the only obstacle for women living in poverty. They face domestic violence, lack of clean water, and the spread of AIDS.

International organizations have played a significant role in assisting with women's development. UNIFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women) offers finances to programs focused on women's empowerment and equality worldwide. Amnesty International has a goal to end violence against women while promoting gender equality. On International Women's Day, UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) promoted the importance of maternal health worldwide. They stated that better access to maternal health can reduce up to half a million deaths related to pregnancy each year. Because so many women live in poverty, access to affordable medical treatment is not an option for them. Women for Women International assists female survivors of war torn countries, providing them with economic sustainability. Although these organizational contributions have had an impact on women's progress, poverty has overall continued to rise.

The correlation between women's development and poverty is a vital connection governments fail to address. By addressing overall poverty without a major focus on women's development, poverty cannot be alleviated. Women comprise over half the world's population and are the primary caretakers for families, specifically children. Therefore, without a focus on the situation of women, children are therefore neglected as well. Young girls must also be a vital focus of governments in their poverty policies. Girls are often disadvantaged in education. In many developing countries, the ratio of girls enrolled in school to boys ranges from 46-79 girls to 100 boys. An example is Benin, whose ratio of girls enrolled in secondary school to boys is 46 to 100. These low numbers are the root to the unfortunate situation women are in today. Without any education, it is virtually impossible for any woman to rise economically and live an independently comfortable life. In order for women's poverty to begin a steady decline, girls education must begin a dramatic incline.

Women marched the streets, performed, sang, danced, and spoke to mark their presence in this world (see left). They demanded to be heard and seen, understood and appreciated. It is time for governments to respond. There is so much international organizations like the UN and Amnesty International can do in raising awareness, but governments are the sole implementers in being able to improve women's situations worldwide. Policies to focus on equal employment rates and opportunities, cracking down on domestic violence, ensuring education and health care are feasible through a reorganization of government funding in new gender specific programs. In order to meet the Millennium Development Goals, women's issues must be addressed seriously to alleviate poverty worldwide. Through addressing these goals, child mortality will decrease as well as the increase in orphans. The spread of AIDS can slow down, and economies can rise with a new educated working class of women. International Women's Day must not be a once-a-year reminder to women's situations but solely a celebration of progress in the advancement of women worldwide. With a more serious effort by governments in focusing on women's progress, this can be achieved.

Poverty: A Well Rounded Overview

This week, I decided to explore the Web for superlative resources in the area of poverty. I came across some very useful websites that I have provided in my linkroll that cover most bases of global poverty analysis. The first arena that I explored was the health aspect of poverty. The well-known World Health Organization's website is up to date on health-related breaking news, publications, statistics, and programs in poverty-stricken countries. The website is well organized, easy to navigate, and full of interesting images. I also stumbled across a section of Time Magazine completely dedicated to providing footage and information on AIDS in Africa. It provides remarkable stories on the struggles of AIDS and heartbreaking photographs that truly translate the crisis that AIDS is causing. While the website lacks interactivity, it is inspirational, very user friendly, and useful in information. Next, I decided to search for resources on development in countries struggling with poverty. The Center for Global Development provides a blog section in its website that a group of colleagues put together to share ideas on how to alleviate global poverty through development ideas and strategies. While the group blog lacks some visual details, it is well organized, straight-forward, and interactive. A similar blog that I came across was the Ideas for Development blog, which is composed by seven professionals in the field discussing and debating the future of development. It is open to students, teachers, and anyone who is willing to constructively participate to formulate new and interesting ideas. The blog is formatted exceptionally, with newest posts most visibly and interesting visuals. Similarly, the Overseas Development Institute Blog is comprised of posts by experts in the field of development, writing and working to promote it in hopes to reduce poverty. It is regularly updated, somewhat interactive, lacks any stimulating visuals, but highly recommended for its content. The last blog that I came across in the field of development was a section in the website for the World Development Movement. In my opinion, this is the most interesting of the group blogs for development because it provides sub-blogs by people promoting development in different countries around the world. They document their experiences while posing suggestions for developmental changes in their regions. It is the most personal and provides a different outlook on development because it is not written by someone who has studied a poverty-stricken country, but someone who is living it. All of the sub-blogs are very interactive, and provide images as well as videos. After finding useful blogs on development, I went to a source I knew would be helpful, the United Nations section on Economic and Social Development. It is useful because it provides links to related issues, updated news, UN publications, and trustworthy statistics. While it lacks any interactivity or capturing images, it is always a legitimate source for general information on poverty worldwide. Finally, I included three sources that I turn to regularly for updates. The first is the World Bank's website on poverty. It provides general information and different analyses on the causes and possible solutions to poverty. With clear organization and useful images, it also gives an overview on how the World Bank is helping to alleviate poverty world wide. CARE's website is one that I like to visit it is useful to follow up on an organization dedicated to ridding the world of poverty. The website has powerful images like the one to the right that is used to promote their slogan "I Am Powerful", as well as a wonderful color scheme that is very inviting. While visually pleasing, the website's content is helpful in showing breaking news as well as programs CARE organizes around the world. Lastly, I turned to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). As one of the first international NGOs, the ICRC is still a major source of information and aid to those struggling worldwide. It is easy to navigate and highlights ICRC programs, provides updated breaking news, sources in international humanitarian law, and wonderful photos from around the world. The web proved to be more useful than expected in organizations' websites that provide general information on poverty as well as blogs that stimulate discussion over causes and solutions.

Africa: Obstacles & Solutions In Development

As a newcomer to the blogosphere, I chose to explore discussions on different issues in Africa. I was pleasantly surprised to find stirring ideas and debates about issues either helping or stalling the development of Africa as a continent. I have always been concerned with why Africa seems to be struggling to catch up with the rest of the world, and how this could possibly change. Post-colonization and corrupt leadership have always been to blame, but two different bloggers dove deep into questions and answers this past week. Cheryl Lindsey Seelhoff is the creator of Women's Space, a blog geared towards open discussion by women about relevant global issues. The most recent post by Cheryl is titled "AIDS Dissent: African Holocaust," where she discusses a video that highlights the controversy concerning the over-diagnosis of AIDS in Africa and the effect it is having on the development of the continent. I found this to be an inspiring video and discussion as to a new possible reason why Africa is always behind. Luckily, I also encountered Stefanie Carmichael's blog, Global Venture, in which she discusses issues from on the ground in Africa. This past week, she discussed the introduction of Facebook in Rwanda in her post "Making Friends with Facebook: Rwandans Turn to the Internet to Get Connected." I found this post inspiring because it is an indication that Rwanda is on its way to developing and entering into the global field. The blogosphere this week and my encounter with these two posts allowed me to gather new thoughts and ideas concerning Africa's struggles in development (misconceptions about AIDS) and some possible methods (social networking) to improve the situation in many of its nations. Please visit the links above to browse these inspiring blogs, and below I have provided my commentary on their recent posts.

"AIDS Dissent: African Holocaust"
Thank you for your informative video and interesting commentary. You pose a viable argument as to why many countries in Africa struggle to develop. It is a well known concept that the people of Africa are those who can truly make an effective and positive change in their countries. As the video states, if a high percentage of Africans are being sent to their deaths because it is easier to diagnose AIDS than other infectious diseases, then there is no hope for Africa. It is a well known fact that AIDS has swept the continent, but what fails to be highlighted is the extreme malnutrition and lack of clean water that are much more prominent problems in Africa than AIDS. The video mentioned an interesting point: funding for AIDS is much higher than funding for any other issue in Africa. Therefore, those suffering from malaria do not know they are suffering from it because there are not enough medical professionals in the malaria field to tell them so, so they live out the short rest of their lives with a mis-diagnosis of HIV. Your explanation of how many suffering from minor fevers or weight loss fear going to a medical clinic because the common response is a positive HIV diagnosis is truly devastating. While AIDS prevention and condom usage has been practiced extensively throughout Africa, shouldn't other life-taking issues, like causes of poverty, be tackled with just as high a priority? Poverty leads to malnutrition and lack of education, which leads to the spread of diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS. Rather than tackle one of the ending results, why not work to resolve the root of the problem? You point specifically to Tanzania as one of the nations where medical professionals use the "Bangui Definition" to over-diagnose HIV. Georgetown University is an example of a credible resource in possibly over-diagnosing AIDS in Africa (see image to the left). According to the World Bank, 36% of the population in Tanzania live below the national poverty line. This statistic in itself is a clear indication that poverty is highly prevalent in the country and most likely the cause of the spread of infectious diseases. Your explanation of the "Bangui Definition" proves to be a shortcut in facing the range of problems of Africans. Shortcuts will not solve African issues but rather pose as obstacles in its development and halt any hope for a bright future.

"Making Friends with Facebook: Rwandans Turn to the Internet to Get Connected"
Thank you for your informative post on the expansion of the internet in Rwanda. Your analysis provides hope that development is an option in the country. Globalization and the increase of interaction capacity among developed nations have left Africa behind. Greg Wyler's inclusion of Internet as a viable source of communication in Rwanda is evident that some African countries are trying to catch up. A country with as devastating a history as Rwanda deserves the opportunity for advancement in the international realm. Your explanation of Facebook as a social networking tool and its vast popularity worldwide shows that Rwanda can interact on the same level. Social networking is a vital instrument for progress in developing countries. Contacts can be maintained while groups and alliances formed. You specifically discuss that NGOs are now realizing the benefits of Facebook as a tool for raising awareness. Your example, the Aegis Trust (its logo shown to the right), an organization against genocide, uses its Facebook group as a networking tool for information, publicity, and dialogue. Likewise, Facebook and other Internet sites can be a tool for the inclusion of Rwanda as an international player in social and economic communication. Wyler's Internet in Rwanda can be a stepping stone for Rwandans to relate to worldwide issues, as well as personal business connections that can be made to improve personal lives. Furthermore, increased Internet usage in Rwanda can motivate other African countries to invest in cheaper and more accessible Internet. While the Internet is an important and useful tool for Rwanda to interact globally because it helps its personal development, should it be the priority? There are so many severe problems tackling Rwanda and little funding for them, that Internet usage could be introduced later. While I understand that global interaction is important to economic and social development, Rwanda still struggles internally with more threatening challenges than lack of connectivity -- health and poverty. UNICEF stated that the central government expenditures allocated to health in Rwanda is only 5%. With this rate so low and little Africans even able to afford Internet, should it be put off until health issues and severe poverty are more seriously addressed?

Zimbabwe: Is There Hope for Stability?

With the upcoming elections, Zimbabwe is in for a drastic change. The current president, Robert Mugabe, shown to the right, is now serving his sixth term, and hoping to serve one more. At the age of 83 and a reputation as a nationalistic fanatic who has driven the nation into unheard of poverty, many are hoping for change. Opposing parties like the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), led my Morgan Tsvangirai, and nationalistic Mugabe supporters, ZANU-PF (Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front), have moved the country into violence and vulnerability. The elections are set to take place on March 29th, 2008, and without a change in political party, Zimbabwe will continue to suffer dramatically.

With independence from British colonialism in 1980, Zimbabwe was one of the latest African colonies to have an African president. Robert Mugabe changed the face of Zimbabwe in the eighties by promoting nationalism, African pride and forming a sense of the Zimbabwe identity. He was very popular among Zimbabweans and seen as the hero of the black liberation struggle. Furthermore, he provided hope that Zimbabwe, a nation rich with resources, could self sustain and lead Africa out of poverty. However, one of Mugabe's major controversial moves was seizing the land of white settlers and redistributing it to African farmers, claiming it was a re-capture of their country from the west. Unfortunately this took a significant toll on Zimbabwe's economy because the African farmers were untrained in farming techniques, so agriculture, Zimbabwe's most influential drive to a successful economy, was gone. With Mugabe printing too much money for personal expenditures, inflation has taken over. In 1985, Zimbabwe's inflation rate was at 38%, and as of June 2007, has risen to a staggering 11,000%. Mugabe's popularity has drastically decreased but rigged elections keep him in office. Mugabe's corrupt leadership has stalled production in Zimbabwe and led his people to poverty stricken lives. The World Bank stated that in 2006, life expectancy in Zimbabwe averaged around 37 years old, while the prevalence of HIV was a staggering 20% between the ages of 15 and 49. If Zimbabwe continues at this rate of decline, it may reach a point where re-development will not be an option.

March 29th poses as an opportunity for either positive change or a downfall in the future of Zimbabwe's recovery. Morgan Tsvangirai, Mugabe's leading opposition, has suffered interrogations and physical beatings by Mugabe supporters, but his dream for a change in Zimbabwe keeps him driven. He preaches about reviving Zimbabwe's economy, and focusing on its development and the individual rather than its revenge on its previous white colonialists. However, many Zimbabweans remain skeptical. This speech seems all too repeated. With starvation affecting children most, as illustrated below, and lack of an economy, unemployment has skyrocketed and the spread of diseases like AIDS has been ignored.

Many question the responsibility of the international community to assist in Zimbabwe's political stability. A key player has been Thabo Mbeki, South Africa's president. As president of Africa's most stable country, Mbeki was

pressured to interfere in Zimbabwe's affairs. He became the mediator between the ZANU-PF and the opposing MDC. After Mbeki helped unite the MDC, Mugabe declared the election date in March, angering many that thought it was too soon and mediation talks should continue. Mbeki has been given the responsibility that requires a much higher power that can more constructively pressure Mugabe into stabilizing his economy and cooperating with the MDC. As power shortages and the spread of AIDS confront South Africans, Mbeki does not have the political capacity to take on a task as problematic as Zimbabwe. A popular question then arises: who should engage their time and energy into Zimbabwe?

Some impulsively expect the United States, a nation that has the resources to improve Zimbabwe's situation, to take charge. Others argue that it is undemocratic and challenges state sovereignty to intervene in another country's affairs. However, the United States has positioned itself as the "world police" by claiming its intervention in Iraq was to alleviate its people from their tyrant leader. If these are the grounds the United States functions by, then morally it should have intervened in Zimbabwe long ago. Mugabe has not only violated human rights in his own country but taken Zimbabwe out of the international realm as a key trading partner. Some suggest that President Bush, who has voiced concern over Zimbabwe's situation, should meet with Morgan Tsvangirai to provide him international recognition as a possible hope for change in Zimbabwe.

Although there is no way to assure that Tsvangirai will effectively improve Zimbabwe's situation, a change from Robert Mugabe will nonetheless be positive. Almost thirty years of corruption has taken a toll on Zimbabweans and unless Tsvangirai proves to be even more corrupt, there is hope for Zimbabwe's recovery. With a change in regime, more outsiders will likely trust to invest in the reconstruction of Zimbabwe's economy and its rich resources. This will in turn improve employment rates, allowing people to afford vaccinations, contraceptives, and other mere but lifesaving luxuries. The March 29th verdict will hopefully provide a glimpse of light into the future of Zimbabwe's people.