Saturday, August 04, 2012

(GLOBALRESEARCH) US-Libyan Mercenary Plans Kony 2012 Psyop against Syria

COMMENT - With a video from Syrian Girl: (YOUTUBE) US Libyan Mercenary Plans Syrian Kony2012 Style Psy-Op

US-Libyan Mercenary Plans #Kony 2012 Psyop against Syria
by Paul Joseph Watson
Global Research, August 2, 2012
Prison Planet and Syria 360

A mercenary who was previously embedded with U.S. troops and also fought with Libyan rebels is set to produce a documentary film in an effort to propagandize for the invasion of Syria, drawing his inspiration from Kony 2012, the infamous “viral” video that drew widespread criticism for its role in using manipulative techniques to grease the skids for U.S. military intervention in Africa.

33-year-old American Matthew VanDyke is a film maker and war correspondent who was embedded with the U.S. Military in Iraq. In 2011, VanDyke traveled to Libya to fight with NATO-backed rebels, many of whom were members of LIFG, an Al-Qaeda offshoot responsible for killing U.S. troops in Iraq.

VanDyke was subsequently imprisoned by the Libyan regime for nearly six months but managed to escape and aid rebels in overthrowing Colonel Gaddafi and turning Libya, once the richest country in Africa, into a chaotic NATO puppet state run by “out of control” sectarian thugs who have imprisoned, tortured and killed thousands of black Libyans.

Despite his direct aid and support for the LIFG, a group listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department, VanDyke faced no legal retribution from the U.S. government.

Even as many of the same Al-Qaeda terrorists who fought in Libya and Iraq now flood into Syria to back the insurgency against President Bashar Assad, VanDyke has announced he plans to travel to Syria to “join the rebels on the front line” and film a documentary as part of a “public relations campaign” to “generate an incredible amount of publicity” in creating support for the overthrow of the Syrian government.

Despite the fact that it was vehemently derided as a dumbed-down propaganda stunt which used falsehoods and emotional manipulation to convince viewers, VanDyke unashamedly cites Kony 2012 as his inspiration, noting that the film will be produced and released in the same manner.

As we documented at the time of its release, despite the fact that it used the plight of people in Uganda to push for further U.S. military intervention in Africa, Kony 2012 actually enraged Ugandan people who rioted during a screening of the film.

Indeed, the backlash to Kony 2012 grew so intense that it caused director Jason Russell to have a mental breakdown. Footage later emerged of Russell engaged in a drug-fueled naked fit during which he screamed and allegedly masturbated openly on the street.

VanDyke is asking for donations to fund the project, while also canvassing people on Twitter to “Donate to send 2 #Libya fighters to #Syria!” He is trying to raise a minimum of $19,500 but adds that a figure of $100,000 “would allow for a tremendous publicity campaign for the film!”

Just like Kony 2012, VanDyke plans to use happy-clappy emotional manipulation to hoodwink viewers. Despite the fact that rebels have carried out massacres and bombings as well as summary executions of pro-Assad captives, VanDyke plans to portray them in a “very human, moving, and distinctive way.”

Another ironic twist to VanDyke’s urge to help Syrian rebels is the fact that his journalist friend John Cantlie was recently captured by so-called ‘Syrian’ rebels who told him of their plans to bring Shariah law to Syria. In reality, the men were described as “foreign jihadists,” many of whom had English accents and were from Britain, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

It’s also ironic that VanDyke calls himself a Christian, yet he is mobilizing funds to bankroll a pro-Syrian rebel documentary despite the fact that Syrian rebels have ransacked numerous Christian churches.

Despite a massive establishment media public relations campaign implying that Assad’s demise is just around the corner, insurgents are failing to make much progress against government forces in major cities. This is presumably why the military-industrial complex and mercenaries like VanDyke are being called upon to launch a new propaganda offensive aimed at legitimizing a NATO invasion.

While the RAND corporation is now citing the presence of Al-Qaeda fighters put there in the first place by NATO powers as a reason to intervene, VanDyke’s role will be to characterize Syrian rebels as democratic freedom fighters, when in reality they are largely comprised of opportunists and foreign insurgents doing the bidding of NATO in toppling Syria as the next phase of the contrived “Arab spring”.

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(GLOBALRESEARCH) Sanctions: Diplomacy’s Weapon of Mass Murder

COMMENT - Good points. How are economic sanctions not a violation of the principle of 'free trade'? Or are they ok if they are used to break open markets against the wishes of their national governments and people? And now don't they constitute war crimes, when hundreds of thousands or even millions die because of them? Are economic sanctions outside of the purview of the United Nations even legal at all?

Sanctions: Diplomacy’s Weapon of Mass Murder
by Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich
Global Research, August 3, 2012

In 1945, the United States of America dropped two atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagaski immediately killing 120,000 civilians. The final death toll of the horrendous bombings has been conservatively estimated at well over 200,000 men, women, and children. To this day, the world continues to be shocked and horrified by the visual images that captured the death and destruction caused by the bombs. The negative impact prompted America to devise a different weapon of mass murder – sanctions.

Unlike the shock and horror which accompanied the atomic bombs dropped on Japan , there were no images of the 500,000 Iraqi children whose lives were cut short by sanctions to jolt the world into reality. Not only has America taken pride in the mass killing of innocent children, but encouraged by silence and the surrender to its weapon of choice, it has turned diplomacy’s weapon of mass murder on another country – Iran.

There has been little resistance to sanctions in the false belief that sanctions are a tool of diplomacy and preferable to war. Enforcement of this belief has been a major victory for American public diplomacy. The reality is otherwise. Sanctions kill indiscriminately – they are far deadlier than “Fat Man” and “Little Boy” – the two atomic bombs that took the lives of over 200,000 people. In the case of Iraq , the United Nations estimated 1,700,000 million Iraqi civilians died as a result of sanctions. 1.5 million more victims than the horrific atomic bombs dropped on Japan.

Diplomacy’s finest hour.

Even though Denis Halliday, former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, and many other top officials resigned from their posts in protest to the sanctions saying: "The policy of economic sanctions is totally bankrupt. We are in the process of destroying an entire society. It is as simple and as terrifying as that", the murders continued. In 1999, seventy members of Congress appealed to President Clinton to lift the sanctions and end what they termed "infanticide masquerading as policy." But America continued its lead with its diplomatic death dance.

America , a morally bankrupt nation and the self-appointed global morality police, obeying the wishes of the pro-Israel lobby groups, has for years now pointed its deadly weapon of mass murder at Iran -- sanctions disguised as diplomacy. The misinformed and misguided global community indulges itself in the false belief that war has been avoided, without thought to suffering and death.

In fact, the notion that economic sanctions are always morally preferable to the use of military force has been challenged by Albert C. Pierce, Ethics and National Security professor at the National Defense University. His analysis showed that economic sanctions inflict great pain, suffering, and physical harm on the innocent civilians--so much so that small-scale military operations were sometimes preferable (Ethics and International Affairs,1996).

But America prefers not to engage in battle. Not only would military confrontation bring global condemnation, but history has shown us that while America can win battles, it cannot win wars ( Vietnam , Iraq , Afghanistan …..). It therefore resorts to sanctions- a coward’s ruthless “diplomacy” tool in order to disguise its role as the enemy with the purpose of depriving the target nation of self-defense against such horrendous aggression. Sanctions, the warfare by an enemy unidentified by a military uniform is intended to eliminate resistance, to attack women and children, the weak and the old, to being about regime change, without fear of retaliation or censure by the ‘peace-loving’ community.

In this election year, as in the past, appeasement of the pro-Israel lobbies takes precedent to humanity, to the well-being of Americans, and to the security of the global community.

A 2005 report developed by economists Dean DeRosa and Gary Hufbauer demonstrates that if the United States lifted sanctions on Iran the world price of oil could fall by 10 percent translating into an annual savings of $38-76 billion for the United States alone. The current global recession would dwarf the figures cited.

At war even with itself to please the lobbies, House passed H.R. 1905 - Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act. Putting aside the oxymoron of sanctions and human rights for now, America is demanding that the world community not only partake in deadly sanctions, but to do so in direct opposition to the national interests of each and every sovereign nation. This is a sharp departure from the arguments presented by AIPAC in 1977 in response to the Arab league boycott.

AIPAC successfully defined the Arab League boycott as " harassment and blackmailing of America, an interference with normal business activities ... that the boycott activities were contrary to the principles of free trade that the United States has espoused for many years … and the Arab interference in the business relations of American firms with other countries is in effect an interference with the sovereignty of the United States."[i]

However, the United States has successfully blackmailed other nations to be its accomplice in suffering and mass murder - diplomacy’s weapon of choice. To believe that Iran (or Syria ) is the only target of these sanctions is as naïve as believing that sanctions are diplomacy put in place to avoid war. The global impact of the lethal weapon – sanctions -- is simply cushioned in diplomacy ; A brilliantly and ruthlessly executed diplomatic coup.

Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich is a Public Diplomacy Scholar, independent researcher and blogger with a focus on U.S. foreign policy and the role of lobby groups.

Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich is a frequent contributor to Global Research. Global Research Articles by Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich


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(NYASATIMES) Clinton praises Joyce Banda for pulling Malawi from economic brink

Clinton praises Joyce Banda for pulling Malawi from economic brink
By Lusubilo Sichali, Nyasa Times
August 5, 2012

Malawi’s Head of State Joyce Banda on Sunday held bilateral talks with the United States of America (USA) Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton at the New State House in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe. This was the first visit to Malawi by a USA Secretary of State. Clinton hailed Banda for pulling her impoverished country back from the economic brink after a political crisis.

President Banda took the opportunity to share her vision to eradicate poverty among the people through economic growth and wealth creation. She informed Secretary Clinton that her administration is committed to a quick economic recovery programme and that it has so far identified five priority areas that form Malawi’s medium to long term development plan. They are Agriculture; Tourism; Mining; Energy; and Infrastructure Development, she said.

Clinton and Banda

She reiterated her commitment to the rule of law, human rights and democratic institutions and to nurture Malawi’s democracy. In this regard, President Banda requested for increased support towards strengthening of democracy and governance through capacity building for institutions like political parties, Parliament and the civil society, among others. She also requested for assistance for capacity strengthening for Malawi Defence Forces’ peace keeping exercises and the Malawi Police Service training.

Clinton commended President Banda and her new Government on the progress Malawi has made on political and economic governance. Wife of the former US President Bill Clinton, Hillary also applauded President Banda’s administration for regaining donor confidence, restoration of the Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Extended Credit Facility and for the improvements in the economic policy and on human rights.

President Banda applauded the cordial relationship between the Malawi Government and the US Government. She appreciated the fact that the US Government commended Malawi for the constitutional transition in April 2012.

President Banda further acknowledged the confidence the US Government has in Malawi’s new administration; and that this confidence was clearly demonstrated through the warm welcome and enthusiasm that was accorded to President Banda and her delegation during their visit to the US in June this year, according to a State House Press Statement.

According to the statement, the President also thanked the US Government for the bilateral assistance to Malawi, specifically citing the fact that Malawi is a recipient of over $200 million US Government financial support in health, education, economic growth and governance, among other sectors.

She appreciated that Malawi is a recipient of all five US Government Presidential Initiatives—the Feed the Future Initiative, which President Banda officially launched in July; the Global Health Initiative; the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the President’s Malaria Initiative; and the Global Climate Change Initiative.

MCC restoration

President Banda thanked Clinton in her capacity as Chairperson of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) for the reinstatement of Malawi’s Compact to improve the country’s power sector.

Clinton commended the Malawi Government for strong leadership on fiscal discipline, encouraging President Banda’s administration to continue keeping expenditures under control; the need for shared sacrifice; transparency; accountability; and Government’s sustained engagement with the civil society and the private sector.

“Secretary Clinton noted President Banda’s drive towards private sector-led growth and that trade should replace aid. In this regard, Secretary Clinton called for the strengthening of Malawi’s trade with the US and urged Malawi to take full advantage of the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA), as well as the US Africa Energy Finance Initiative coordinated by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation,” said the State House statement.

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(GLOBALRESEARCH) Al Qaeda, The CIA and Media Propaganda directed Against Syria

Al Qaeda, The CIA and Media Propaganda directed Against Syria
by Devon DB
Global Research, August 3, 2012

The ‘objective’ news network PBS has been (and still is) engaging in the media propaganda war against the Syrian government, from perpetuating the myth about Syrian Migs attacking rebel fighters to calling the Syrian rebels “underdogs,” the Public Broadcasting Service is perpetuating the disinformation campaign surrounding the events in Syria.

On July 25th, PBS Newshour host Judy Woodruff interviewed Youssef Amrani, Morroco’s minister delegate for foreign affairs. In the interview, Woodruff bought up the topic of diplomacy, specifically within the framework of the UN Security Council, with Amrani stating that he wanted more sanctions and the like on the Assad regime. When Amrani stated that he thought the UN “should work with the opposition” to find a solution to the crisis, Woodruff responded by saying;

Well, that brings me to the question. One of the reasons the U.S. and other countries have been reluctant to get involved, to support the opposition is because they don't know what a successor government is going to look like. We just saw in that report al-Qaida starting to show up among the opposition. (emphasis added)

Such statements are utter and outright fabrications! The US and other countries have been quite involved in supporting the opposition and Al Qaeda is not “starting to show up” in the opposition as Woodruff would like viewers to think, but rather have been there for quite some time.

In regards to the US supporting the Syrian rebels, this was first acknowledged in December 2011 on the site The American Conservative where former CIA analyst Philip Giraldi wrote an article in which he stated that “the CIA and U.S. Spec Ops are providing communications equipment and intelligence to assist the rebel cause, enabling the fighters to avoid concentrations of Syrian soldiers.” Most recently, it was reported on August 1st that President Obama “has signed a secret order authorizing U.S. support for rebels seeking to depose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government.”

The US government has known that Al Qaeda has been among the Syrian rebels as in February 2012, Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper stated that “Members of Al Qaeda have infiltrated Syrian opposition groups.”

Thus, the US government has been supporting the rebels since late last year and has been working with Al Qaeda (albeit indirectly) to topple the Syrian government, yet PBS seems to be concerned only with spouting lies.

In the same interview, when Woodruff asked Amrani “How can you be sure that the next government won't be as repressive as this government?,” Amrani replied by saying “Listen, we had some experiences in Libya, in Tunisia, in the Maghreb, that were successful.”

It is quite interesting that he cites Libya as a “success” as that nation, after being overrun by US-NATO backed fighters, has been plagued by violence in recent months. It makes one wonder what the ambassador thinks “success” actually means.

In an interview on July 26th, Judy Woodruff interviewed Kelly McEvers, a journalist from National Public Radio, after she had “just completed a weeklong reporting trip to northwestern Syria, near the Turkish border, where she visited a number of towns currently under rebel control. In the interview, McEvers was asked about the Syrian rebels. After her description of them, Woodruff stated the the rebels were outgunned to which McEvers responded

Exactly. They are so outgunned right now. They're basically operating with rifles and rocket-propelled grenades and homemade bombs.

That's another key component to their sort of arsenal right now. That's how they deal with regime tanks.

But when you talk about a fully equipped army with tanks, artillery, mortars, helicopters, and now we have seen jets being employed in this fight by the regime's army, you can see that the rebels are definitely the underdogs here. (emphasis added)

This myth that the Syrian rebels are outgunned is but another fabrication. It was reported on August 2nd that the Syrian rebels were using a captured tank in the battle for Aleppo. This is not the first time this has happened as in February, the International Business Times presented a video on Youtube which showed the rebels using a tank against the Syrian military. The use of fighters jets is also a myth that is based on a single tweet from BBC correspondent Ian Pannell. The magazine The Aviationist did a report on the alleged incident of Syrian air force MiGs attacking the rebels and found that the plane in question was an L-39 “a combat trainer” which “could be used for reconnaissance purposes.” Yet, even if the Syrian regime was using fighter jets on the rebels, the rebels most likely wouldn’t have a problem as they now have surface to air missiles. Despite this evidence, McEvers still feels the need to state that the rebels “are definitely the underdogs.”

Thus, the propaganda campaign of demonizing the Assad regime and praising the US-NATO backed rebels continues with the help of such ‘reliable’ and ‘centrist’ sources as PBS. The psyop against the public continues as the imperialists push ever closer to intervention in Syria.

Devon DB is a 20 year old independent writer and researcher. He is studying political science at Fairleigh Dickinson University. He can be contacted at devondb[at]mail[dot]com.

Global Research Articles by Devon DB



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(GLOBALRESEARCH) Al Qaeda, The CIA and Media Propaganda directed Against Syria

Al Qaeda, The CIA and Media Propaganda directed Against Syria
by Devon DB
Global Research, August 3, 2012

The ‘objective’ news network PBS has been (and still is) engaging in the media propaganda war against the Syrian government, from perpetuating the myth about Syrian Migs attacking rebel fighters to calling the Syrian rebels “underdogs,” the Public Broadcasting Service is perpetuating the disinformation campaign surrounding the events in Syria.

On July 25th, PBS Newshour host Judy Woodruff interviewed Youssef Amrani, Morroco’s minister delegate for foreign affairs. In the interview, Woodruff bought up the topic of diplomacy, specifically within the framework of the UN Security Council, with Amrani stating that he wanted more sanctions and the like on the Assad regime. When Amrani stated that he thought the UN “should work with the opposition” to find a solution to the crisis, Woodruff responded by saying;

Well, that brings me to the question. One of the reasons the U.S. and other countries have been reluctant to get involved, to support the opposition is because they don't know what a successor government is going to look like. We just saw in that report al-Qaida starting to show up among the opposition. (emphasis added)

Such statements are utter and outright fabrications! The US and other countries have been quite involved in supporting the opposition and Al Qaeda is not “starting to show up” in the opposition as Woodruff would like viewers to think, but rather have been there for quite some time.

In regards to the US supporting the Syrian rebels, this was first acknowledged in December 2011 on the site The American Conservative where former CIA analyst Philip Giraldi wrote an article in which he stated that “the CIA and U.S. Spec Ops are providing communications equipment and intelligence to assist the rebel cause, enabling the fighters to avoid concentrations of Syrian soldiers.” Most recently, it was reported on August 1st that President Obama “has signed a secret order authorizing U.S. support for rebels seeking to depose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government.”

The US government has known that Al Qaeda has been among the Syrian rebels as in February 2012, Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper stated that “Members of Al Qaeda have infiltrated Syrian opposition groups.”

Thus, the US government has been supporting the rebels since late last year and has been working with Al Qaeda (albeit indirectly) to topple the Syrian government, yet PBS seems to be concerned only with spouting lies.

In the same interview, when Woodruff asked Amrani “How can you be sure that the next government won't be as repressive as this government?,” Amrani replied by saying “Listen, we had some experiences in Libya, in Tunisia, in the Maghreb, that were successful.”

It is quite interesting that he cites Libya as a “success” as that nation, after being overrun by US-NATO backed fighters, has been plagued by violence in recent months. It makes one wonder what the ambassador thinks “success” actually means.

In an interview on July 26th, Judy Woodruff interviewed Kelly McEvers, a journalist from National Public Radio, after she had “just completed a weeklong reporting trip to northwestern Syria, near the Turkish border, where she visited a number of towns currently under rebel control. In the interview, McEvers was asked about the Syrian rebels. After her description of them, Woodruff stated the the rebels were outgunned to which McEvers responded

Exactly. They are so outgunned right now. They're basically operating with rifles and rocket-propelled grenades and homemade bombs.

That's another key component to their sort of arsenal right now. That's how they deal with regime tanks.

But when you talk about a fully equipped army with tanks, artillery, mortars, helicopters, and now we have seen jets being employed in this fight by the regime's army, you can see that the rebels are definitely the underdogs here. (emphasis added)

This myth that the Syrian rebels are outgunned is but another fabrication. It was reported on August 2nd that the Syrian rebels were using a captured tank in the battle for Aleppo. This is not the first time this has happened as in February, the International Business Times presented a video on Youtube which showed the rebels using a tank against the Syrian military. The use of fighters jets is also a myth that is based on a single tweet from BBC correspondent Ian Pannell. The magazine The Aviationist did a report on the alleged incident of Syrian air force MiGs attacking the rebels and found that the plane in question was an L-39 “a combat trainer” which “could be used for reconnaissance purposes.” Yet, even if the Syrian regime was using fighter jets on the rebels, the rebels most likely wouldn’t have a problem as they now have surface to air missiles. Despite this evidence, McEvers still feels the need to state that the rebels “are definitely the underdogs.”

Thus, the propaganda campaign of demonizing the Assad regime and praising the US-NATO backed rebels continues with the help of such ‘reliable’ and ‘centrist’ sources as PBS. The psyop against the public continues as the imperialists push ever closer to intervention in Syria.

Devon DB is a 20 year old independent writer and researcher. He is studying political science at Fairleigh Dickinson University. He can be contacted at devondb[at]mail[dot]com.

Global Research Articles by Devon DB



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(GLOBALRESEARCH) Marine Corps Creates Law Enforcement Battalions

Marine Corps Creates Law Enforcement Battalions
by Julie Watson
Global Research, July 30, 2012
Associated Press - 2012-07-22

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) -- The Marine Corps has created its first law enforcement battalions - a lean, specialized force of military police officers that it hopes can quickly deploy worldwide to help investigate crimes from terrorism to drug trafficking and train fledgling security forces in allied nations.

The Corps activated three such battalions last month. Each is made up of roughly 500 military police officers and dozens of dogs. The Marine Corps has had police battalions off and on since World War II but they were primarily focused on providing security, such as accompanying fuel convoys or guarding generals on visits to dangerous areas, said Maj. Jan Durham, commander of the 1st Law Enforcement Battalion at Camp Pendleton.

The idea behind the law enforcement battalions is to consolidate the military police and capitalize on their investigative skills and police training, he said. The new additions come as every branch in the military is trying to show its flexibility and resourcefulness amid defense cuts.

Marines have been increasingly taking on the role of a street cop along with their combat duties over the past decade in Iraq and Afghanistan, where they have been in charge of training both countries' security forces. Those skills now can be used as a permanent part of the Marine Corps, Durham said.

The war on terror has also taught troops the importance of learning how to gather intelligence, secure evidence and assist local authorities in building cases to take down criminal networks. Troops have gotten better at combing raid sites for clues to help them track insurgents.

They also have changed their approach, realizing that marching into towns to show force alienates communities. Instead, they are being taught to fan out with interpreters to strike up conversations with truck drivers, money exchangers, cellphone sellers and others. The rapport building can net valuable information that could even alert troops about potential attacks.

But no group of Marines is better at that kind of work than the Corps' military police, who graduate from academies just like civilian cops, Durham said. He said the image of military police patrolling base to ticket Marines for speeding or drinking has limited their use in the Corps. He hopes the creation of the battalions will change that, although analysts say only the future will tell whether the move is more than just a rebranding of what already existed within the Corps.

The battalions will be capable of helping control civil disturbances, handling detainees, carrying out forensic work, and using biometrics to identify suspects. Durham said they could assist local authorities in allied countries in securing crime scenes and building cases so criminals end up behind bars and not back out on the streets because of mistakes.

"Over the past 11 years of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, some lessons learned painfully, there has been a growing appreciation and a demand for, on the part of the warfighter, the unique skills and capabilities that MPs bring to the fight," Durham said. "We do enforce traffic laws and we do write reports and tickets, and that's good, but we do so much more than that."

Durham said the Marine Corps plans to show off its new battalions in Miami later this month at a conference put on by the Southern Command and that is expected to be attended by government officials from Central American countries, such as Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Belize.

Defense analyst Loren Thompson said the battalions make sense given the nature of today's global threats, which include powerful drug cartels and other criminal gangs that often mix with religious and political extremists, who use the profits to buy their weaponry.

"This is a smart idea because the biggest single problem the Marines have in dealing with low-intensity types of threats is that they basically are trained to kill people," he said. "It's good for the Marines to have skills that allow them to contain threats without creating casualties."

Gary Solis, a former Marine Corps prosecutor and judge who teaches law of war at Georgetown University, said Marines have already been doing this kind of work for years but now that it has been made more formal by the creation of the battalions, it could raise a host of questions, especially on the use of force. The law of war allows for fighters to use deadly force as a first resort, while police officers use it as a last resort.

If Marines are sent in to do law enforcement but are attacked, will they go back to being warfighters? And if so, what are the implications? Solis asked.

"Am I a Marine or a cop? Can I be both?" he said. "Cops apply human rights law and Marines apply the law of war. Now that it's blended, it makes it tougher for the young men and women who have to make the decision as to when deadly force is not appropriate."

Durham said that military police understand that better than any Marine since they are trained in both.

"They are very comfortable with the escalation of force," he said. "MPs get that. It's fundamental to what we do."

Global Research Articles by Julie Watson



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(TALKZIMBABWE) No to ‘imperialist Constitution’: President Mugabe

No to ‘imperialist Constitution’: President Mugabe
This article was written by Our reporter on 3 August, at 19 : 27 PM

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe says the Zanu-PF party will NEVER accept an ‘imperialist Constitution’ or a Draft Constitution which has had input from the agents of former imperialists, the Zimbabwe Guardian can exclusively reveal.

He made this statement in a Politburo meeting this week in which the contents of the Draft Constitution was being discussed. The Politburo is the Zanu-PF’s highest decision-making body after Congress.

Zimbabwe has recently published a draft constitution which will replace the Lancaster House Constitution which has been in operation since Independence in April 1980.

“We will never, ever betray our people into accepting a Constitution drafted by agents of our former imperialists,” said President Mugabe in reference to the Draft Constitution.

He said Zanu-PF is a “party for the people” and its history is testament to that. The liberation war was fought for democracy, in the form of one-man-one-rule and will never betray Zimbabweans.

“Our strength lies within the living and dead heroes and heroines of this country who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of the country.”

President Mugabe added that the Draft Constitution should reflect the spirit of the liberation struggle and should not betray the aspirations of the fallen heroes and all those living heroes who made sacrifices.

It is the role of those living heroes to make sure that the liberation struggle does not go to waste, he added.

““Those who remain should carry on the legacy, not of failure but of success because those who have gone were successful and we must continue with that success.

“A political party for the people by the people will never, ever betray its people,” he said. “We don’t represent British interests here in this meeting, as we are scrutinising this ‘would-be Supreme law’.

“We need to deliberate every letter, every word used, every sentence formulated, every paragraph, every section, every Chapter in this Draft Constitution and look throughly whether the Draft Constitution is for the Zimbabweans by the Zimbabweans.”

He added that Zanu-PF will not simply adopt the Constitution without paying enough attention to its contents and their implication on the future of the country and the security and welfare of its citizens.

He attacked the Movement for Democratic Change formations for being quick in adopting the Draft Constitution without paying enough scrutiny to the issues embedded in that document.

The two MDC formations led by PM Tsvangirai and the other by Professor Welshman Ncube have approved the draft constitution, but Zanu-PF is still having deliberations within the Politburo.

“Whilst our Party is still busy looking into the would-be Supreme law, all the MDCs are saying they are satisfied,” said President Mugabe.

“It is quite disgusting that a party that regards itself as full of lawyers had to endorse a Draft Constitution in three hours after it was released,” he added, referring to lawyers in the MDC-T party led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

“It seems to us this document was from their bosses in England because any reasonable lawyer cannot read and understand the whole supreme law of a country in three hours.

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(NEWZIMBABWE) Gono defiant on bank reforms

Gono defiant on bank reforms
03/08/2012 00:00:00
by Gilbert Nyambabvu

CENTRAL bank governor Gideon Gono defiantly stuck to his guns on Friday, insisting that banks must comply with a tenfold increase in the minimum capital requirements despite what appears to be a cross-party cabinet revolt over the move.

In his mid-term monetary policy review presented this week, Gono increased to US$100 million the minimum capital requirements for commercial and merchant banks from the current levels of US$12.5 million and US$10 million respectively. He gave the banks until 2014 to meet the new thresholds.

But the move sparked fears that more banks, particularly the indigenously-owned institutions, would suffer the fate of Genesis Bank and Royal Bank which were forced to hand over their operating licences having failed to meet the current capital requirements.

The NewsDay newspaper reported that the secretary to the President and cabinet wrote to Gono and Finance Minister Tendai Biti declaring the increase null and void after the move was shot down by both Zanu PF and the MDC parties in the coalition government.

The parties felt the increase would adversely impact the indigenous banks and force many of them to close thereby pegging back the country’s economic empowerment programme.

But speaking to reporters on Friday, Gono said there was no going back on the increase, insisting that inadequate capital positions were responsible for the fragility of the country’s financial services sector as well as high bank charges and lending rates.

“A number of banking institutions are registering persistent losses due to inadequate business volumes, which in turn is emanating from low capitalisation. Banking institutions with higher capital levels, such as CBZ Bank and Standard Chartered Bank revealed demonstrable ability to generate revenues in excess of their operating costs,” he said.

“In contrast, banking institutions with low capital levels, such as Royal Bank and ZABG, as well as those with illiquid capital such as Agribank and Trust, have higher incidence of reporting losses.”

Gono said banks with weak capital positions could not generate sufficient business and revenues to meet their operational costs and were therefore resorting to high charges and other activities which undermine confidence in the sector.

“Marginally capitalised institutions often resort to charging higher fees to compensate for low levels of business. These high bank charges erode confidence in the banking system leading to financial disintermediation, where economic agents keep their money outside the banking system. An estimated $2 billion to $3 billion dollars is considered to be circulating outside the banking system,” he said.

“It’s the Reserve Bank’s considered view that only profitable banks can positively impact on economic activity in our country via low bank charges, low interest rates, sound credit extension, and provision of liquidity, among others.”

Critics said the new capital requirements were unrealistic for an economy Zimbabwe’s size, adding the problem with the country’s financial services sector was not capitalisation but poor oversight and regulation by the central bank.

Said UK-based banking expert and New Zimbabwe.com blogger Lance Mambondiani: “The central banks’ abdication of effective regulation and supervision, preferring to manage banks by a yearly increase in capital requirements is patently bad policy which takes the course of least resistance whilst failing to address the core of a 10-year crisis.

“The recurrence of near identical bank crises since 2003 even after several changes in the capital requirements could indicate that the problem is less about adequacy.

“An increase in capital adequacy ratio has to be proportionate to the size of the banking sector and country’s economic activity. At the proposed level, with one of the lowest GDP (US$10.7 billion), Zimbabwe will have the highest CAR in Africa, higher than South Africa with CAR at US$39 million and a GDP of US$408 billion.

[Only a fool would use GDP as a measure of anything, when the mines are in foreign hands. Foreign mines dragging diamonds, gold and platinum out of the economy is not development or meaningful economic growth, but it is counted as GDP. - MrK]


“Besides being empirically mismatched, such an increase less than six months after a previous increase to US$12 million defies realism, and is the type of policy inconsistency which contributes to fragility within the banking sector.”

[I'm sorry, but I couldn't decipher any of that. - MrK]


But Gono said he would not be swayed by “fly-by-night experts” in the regulation and supervision of banks, insisting Zimbabwe had far too many banks for an economy its size.

“Zimbabwe, with an area size of 390,757 square kilometers has more banking institutions per square kilometer compared to Nigeria and South Africa with area sizes 923,768 and 1,228,376 square kilometers respectively,” he said.

“South Africa with a GDP of over $400 billion in 2011 is supported by 32 banking institutions. In contrast, Zimbabwe with a GDP of around $10 billion has 26 operating banking institutions.

“It is noteworthy that Zimbabwe with an estimated population size of only 13.5 million has 25 banking institutions whilst Nigeria, with a population of around 160 million, has the same number of banking institutions. Further, South Africa with a population size of more than three times Zimbabwe’s population has 32 banks.”

The RBZ chief said institutions unable to meet the new capital requirements must merge and consolidate their operations so that the country ends up with a leaner but much more stable financial services sector.

“A fragmented banking system characterised by numerous weak and undercapitalised banks will not only increase the vulnerability of the financial system but also of the economy as a whole,” he said.

“Fewer, strong and adequately capitalised banking institutions are better placed to meet the funding requirements of a country’s economic agents than numerous weak and inadequately capitalised institutions.

“It is the Reserve Bank’s firm conviction that it is time indigenous banks extricate themselves from the fringes of the financial sector and transform into indigenous Citibanks and HSBCs.

“As long as we are not ready to take bold decisions to strengthen the financial sector through a number of measures including mergers and consolidations, indigenous banks will continue to operate in the periphery of the financial services sector.”


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(NEWZIMBABWE, AFP) Zimbabwe earns $517m from tobacco

Zimbabwe earns $517m from tobacco
03/08/2012 00:00:00
by AFP

ZIMBABWE sold over 140 million kilos of tobacco this year earning the country over a half a billion dollars, in the best showing since land reforms began more than a decade ago, officials said Thursday.

Figures released by the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board showed the country sold 140.8 million kilos with sales reaching $517 million, surpassing last year's 128 million kilos and $349 million in revenue. The average price per kilo this year was $3.67 compared to last year's $2.71, the board said.

Though the country missed a target of 150 million kilos, tobacco farming is slowly rebounding after years of decline following farm disruptions over the last decade when President Robert Mugabe's government seized white-owned commercial farms to give to blacks.

Production has been rising since 2009, though it remains off a peak in 2000 of 236 million kilos.

Zimbabwe was once the world's biggest tobacco exporter, with sales accounting for 30 percent of exports, but production fell to a low of 55.6 million kilos on 2006, the weakest performance since independence from Britain in 1980.

The sudden collapse of commercial farming caused by the land reforms sent Zimbabwe's already wobbly economy into a tailspin, leading to world-record hyperinflation.

[Bullshit. The collapse of the Zimbabwe Dollar, the turning of a rising trade surplus into a trade deficit, the collapse in tobacco exports did not occur in 2000, when the 'farm invasions' took place, in fact the economy grew in 2000 AND 2001. It only collapsed after the Zimbabwe government was put on a credit freeze, through section 4C of the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001, which came into force on Jan. 1st 2002. Only in 2002 did the economy collapse.

Oh and by the way, never in the history of economics has land reform led to world record hyperinflation. World record hyperinflation is ALWAYS caused by FINANCIAL MANIPULATION. Weimar's was the Versaille Treaty, Zimbabwe's was the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001, sponsored by Bill Frist, co-sponsored by Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Russ Feingold and Jesse Helms. - MrK]


Mugabe has defended the scheme as necessary to redress colonial-era injustices, but the violent campaign had a political colouring linked to deadly attacks against his rivals.

The inflation, believed to have reached multiples of billions in 2008, made it impossible for the new farmers to budget to buy fertilisers and other supplies.

After the government abolished the Zimbabwe dollar and made the US dollar its currency of reference, farm production stabilised and began ticking upward.
Zimbabwe now has four auction floors operating, against just one floor last year.

Tobacco remains Zimbabwe's biggest agricultural export, though mining has overtaken farming as the main foreign currency earner.

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(MnG, REUTERS) Sudan and South Sudan reach oil deal

Sudan and South Sudan reach oil deal
04 Aug 2012 07:15 - Aaron Maasho

Sudan and South Sudan have reached a badly needed oil deal and will discuss restarting oil production soon. There was no immediate confirmation from the African arch-foes, which came close to war in April when border fighting escalated to the worst violence since South Sudan split off a year ago under a 2005 agreement to end decades of civil war.

If confirmed, an oil deal would mark a big step forward in ending a long list of conflicts left over from the duo's messy divorce as oil is the lifeline for both.

"It's an (oil) agreement about all of the matters. The issues that were outstanding were charges for transportation, for processing, transit," former South African President and AU mediator Thabo Mbeki told reporters.

"What will remain (now)...is to then discuss the steps as to when the oil companies should be asked to prepare for the resumption of production and export," Mbeki said in Addis Ababa where the talks take place.

He gave no details or time frame.

Thorny issue

The neighbours, which share a deep mistrust and have often not implemented previous arrangements, will still have to resolve the thorny issue of marking their disputed border.

Landlocked South Sudan threw both economies into turmoil when it shut down in January its output of 350 000 barrels a day after failing to agree on a transit fee with Sudan, which started seizing oil to compensate for what it called unpaid fees.

Oil industry sources have said restarting oil production could take six months or longer as the pipelines have been filled with water to avoid gelling and some wells were not closed properly in a rush.

Mbeki's comments came as a surprise after the South's top negotiator Pagan Amum had just earlier accused Sudan of demanding a high oil fee. Both delegations had also hours earlier broken off talks without a comprehensive deal after a U.N. Security Council deadline expired.

Mbeki said both sides had now time to settle the key security issue and other conflicts by Sept. 22.

Exorbitant transit fees

But it was not clear how an oil deal would be implemented as Sudan has repeatedly said it would not agree on southern oil exports before settling the border issue.

"Any agreement on oil shall be subject to the implementation of a full and final agreement on security matters," Sudan's delegation said in a position paper published on Friday.

In an indication of the mistrust between the arch-foes, Juba's top negotiator Amum said, speaking just before Mbeki, that Khartoum was trying to "impose very exorbitant transit fees."

Both sides had improved their offers in the past few days. Juba said last it was willing to pay $9.10 and $7.26 per barrel to use two pipelines crossing Sudan, alongside a $3.2 billion package to compensate for the loss of most oil reserves to the South. It had previously offered $2.6 billion.

Sudan itself lowered its demand to $15 a barrel per pipeline, down from $32, according to officials. It had until last week insisted on $36 a barrel.

Borders

African Union-mediated talks, led by Mbeki, have long been hampered by differences on where to draw up a demilitarised buffer zone – seen as a crucial first step to ending hostilities.

Amum reiterated calls for an arbitration body to resolve a dispute over the position of their shared border, a potentially lengthy process.

He also accused Khartoum of maintaining a police force in the disputed Abyei border region, despite UN requests for a complete pull-out by both sides.

Mbeki said Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and his southern counterpart Salva Kiir were scheduled to discuss Abyei next month after a break for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

"We have informed them (AU) that there has been an agreement between the parties that the matter of the final status of Abyei will be addressed at the next summit meeting of the presidents (Bashir and Kiir)," he said.

Abyei was meant to have a referendum like the South under the 2005 peace agreement but both sides have been unable to agree on who should participate. – Reuters

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(MnG) Hillary Clinton punts US interest in Africa

Hillary Clinton punts US interest in Africa
03 Aug 2012 06:44 - Charles Molele

Hillary Clinton, the United States secretary of state, arrives in South Africa on August 7 on the final leg of her 11-day African safari, widely seen as an attempt by President Barack Obama's administration to counter the ever-increasing Chinese influence on the ­continent.

Clinton is visiting Senegal, South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi and South Africa largely to promote Obama's new Africa strategy, which focuses on the continent's economic potential as well as on the advancement of its peace and security.

At the start of her visit to Senegal this week, Clinton took an indirect swipe at China and its investment in Africa.

She once again warned African leaders to embrace democracy and partnership with responsible foreign powers if they wanted to improve the living standards of their people.

[Or else... - MrK]


Although she did not mention China by name, Clinton said that, unlike other countries, the US would continue to stand up for democracy and human rights.

[Or undermine it, whatever the needs of the transnational corporations are. What are they positively doing about the DRC, where the people are being repressed so that their resources can be stolen? Considering she is so close to say Maurice Tempelsman, he can explain to her in detail how President Lumumba was murdered just for that purpose, two years before President Kennedy. 40 years to the date of the murder of President Laurent Kabila, again for the same reason, with the same economic beneficiaries. Words are nice, but for those in power only actions will suffice. As long as US politicians like herself are run by the Rockefellers, they are not going to do anything serious about the resource theft in Africa or anywhere else. - MrK]


Partnership

This could be interpreted as a thinly veiled reference to China's appalling human rights record.

"The days of having outsiders come and extract the wealth of Africa for themselves, leaving nothing or very little behind, should be over in the 21st century," Clinton told a media briefing in Dakar after meeting Macky Sall, Senegal's new president.

"America will stand up for democracy and universal human rights, even when it might be easier or more profitable to look the other way to keep resources flowing. Not every partner makes that choice, but we do and we will."

[Odd that it is China that leaves behind infrastructure and development, not Anglo-Amrerican De Beers or Rio Tinto. - MrK]


Clinton called the US's support for democracy and human rights the "heart of the American model of partnership".

China buys one-third of its oil from Africa, mainly from Angola, Sudan and Nigeria, to fuel its surging growth. It has also acquired mines in Zambia, textile factories in Lesotho, railways in Uganda, timber in the Central African Republic and retail development in almost every capital in sub-Saharan Africa.

China's influence

At a recent summit with 50 African nations in Beijing, China pledged $20-billion in new loans to Africa over the next three years for infrastructure and manufacturing.

Jakkie Cilliers, executive director at the Institute for Security Studies, said Clinton's trip to Africa was part of an exercise to neutralise, or at least minimise, China's influence on the continent.

"The trip by Clinton generally re-presents increased recognition by the Obama administration that Africa is now a global player," he said.

"We are not only being courted by the Chinese, but [by] the Americans as well. Perceptions of Africa are changing and the continent is becoming a global destination for trade and investment."

The financial crisis in 2008 hurt the US economy and Obama's new strategy is seen by many as another way of reversing its fortunes through greater trade and investment in Africa.

US ambassador to South Africa Donald Gips said Clinton's visit to South Africa was part of a "strategic dialogue" to discuss issues ranging from trade and investment to diplomatic relations in multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, G20 and COP17.

Robert Kelley, a founding member of Democrats Abroad South Africa, said South Africa had become a strategic partner of the US and its potential could not be ignored.

Sound policy

He said nobody would trade with or invest in a partner they did not hold in high regard.

"I would expect the secretary to have a view that encompasses the Africa of tomorrow and not the troubled Africa of yesterday that is so often represented," Kelley said.

"Over the past several years, the quest for sound policy towards Africa has never been fully realised and yet Africa is clearly a more strategic trading partner than one could have ever imagined.

"It can no longer be considered [merely] a place to set up military bases, or simply a location to secure tomorrow's resources on the backs of the poor."

Clinton is scheduled to hold talks with International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and address business leaders before paying a visit to former president Nelson Mandela, who recently celebrated his 94th birthday.

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(NEWZIMBABWE) Land acquisition to continue: Mugabe

Land acquisition to continue: Mugabe
03/08/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

SANCTIONS slapped on Zimbabwe by the West were aimed at stopping the country’s land reforms President Robert Mugabe has said, insisting the measures had failed and should be lifted. Mugabe is on a three-day visit to Zambia where he will also officially open the country’s annual agricultural and commercial show on Saturday.

Speaking during a state banquet held in his honour, Mugabe said the sanctions, imposed more than a decade ago, were meant to stop the seizures of land from white farmers for redistribution to landless blacks.

"The sanctions are a deliberate ploy to make us fail as Zimbabwe, but I can tell you that these sanctions have failed and they are not justified and should be removed," he said.

"We refused to stop the land acquisition. The land in Zimbabwe is ours."

Last month the European Union (EU) promised to ease most of the sanctions only if the country holds a "credible" vote on a new constitution, a key reform before new elections.

EU ministers said sanctions would be lifted against most of the 112 Zimbabweans still listed on a decade-old EU asset freeze and travel ban. But veteran leader Mugabe would remain on an EU blacklist.

[And then there is the credit freeze of the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001, section 4C. - MrK]


"We will continue to fight for these sanctions to be removed. Zimbabwe is for Zimbabweans and we will not surrender," said Mugabe.

He said despite the sanctions the "economy has grown, the mines are growing, inflation has gone down".

Mugabe who is accompanied by his wife Grace, and senior government officials also commended the cooperation between the two neighbouring countries which dates back to the 1950s.

“The past is what has made the present, where we are today. And now in our present circumstances, we should cooperate even more so that the beneficiaries can understand our history,” he said.

Mugabe was expected to meet the country’s first President, Kenneth Kaunda on Friday before opening the agricultural show on Saturday.

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(NEWZIMBABWE) Hope fades over missing activist

COMMENT - Eddie Coltart gets mystical and claims in the article Dark Forces Operating In Zimbabwe, Coltart, by Makusha Mugabe (Monday, 02 July 2012 17:19):

" Coltart recently told the Huffington Post that his car wheels were loosened, and the wheel came off. "It could well have been sabotage," he said, adding that he believed “dark forces” were still utterly determined to subvert the political process, and use the same tactics they have used for 30 years to retain political power. "

Or, the same people who were doing dirty tricks for the last 30 years plus UDI are still around.

Hope fades over missing activist
03/08/2012 00:00:00
by RNW Africa

FRIENDS and colleagues of human rights campaigner Paul Chizuze are losing hope of finding him alive amid fears the prominent figure may have been abducted by the country’s feared state security agency.

One source says Chizuze became a target for state security because of his investigations into other disappeared activists and his wealth of information on the Matabeleland massacres.

Last month local media reported finding Chizuze’s car in the border town of Beitbridge. Inside were his old shoes, but no one to fill them. Local police confirmed finding the vehicle, though refused to give further details. One source described the issue as “too sensitive” for the police to handle.

Chizuze left his home in Bulawayo just after 8 pm on 8 February. The 58 year old was seen driving his official car, a Nissan Hardbody with registration number ACJ 3446.
Some family members say they fear Chizuze may have been abducted, hijacked or murdered on the night he disappeared.

A relative who declined to be named said the family was despairing. “I now suspect he was murdered and we should all accept that we will never find him alive,” he told RNW.

Education and culture minister David Coltart, a close friend and former colleague of the disappeared activist, said a search by several organisations and police has failed to locate him. He told a private radio station that his main worry was the lack of any leads, despite so much time spent searching for him.
Information

Coltart and Chizuze worked together on a number of human rights issues at the Bulawayo Legal Projects Centre. The minister said Chizuze had been working on issues that could have embarrassed authorities in the government, especially hardliners.

According to Coltart, the activist had too much information on (1) Gukurahundi, the notorious army unit which massacred (2) an estimated 20,000 people from the (3) Ndebele-speaking minority of Matabeleland and Midlands provinces soon after the country’s independence in 1980.

[Eh... no, no and no. - MrK]


Chizuze’s current colleagues say the missing man’s work involved tracking activists in jail and offering them support. He also investigated the disappearance of Patrick Nabanyama, Colart’s election agent in 2000 and someone who worked closely with Coltart during the 1980s to help victims of the Matabeleland massacres. To this day, Nabanyama has not been found.

Colleague

The director of Masakhane Projects Trust, the human rights organization Chizuze worked for when he went missing, was almost in tears as he described efforts to locate their colleague.

“We have searched everywhere, including hospitals and morgues, but we have come up with nothing,” Dumisani Mpofu told RNW. “We are losing hope of finding him alive because of what happened in the past when other disappeared human rights activists turned up dead.”

When asked whether Chizuze might have skipped the border for self-exile, he said: “We doubt very much that he might have fled the country because there was no reason for him to do that. He was a person who never gave up the fight even when the going got tough.”

He added that if Chizuze had fled, he would have contacted family or workmates.

Mpofu says the disappearance of one of their own will not scare them away from exposing human rights abuses by the government, especially in Matabeleland, where people are still waiting for perpetrators of the 1980s killings to be brought to justice.

The search for Chizuze has taken other activists to the remote villages of Matabeleland. Reportedly no trace of him has turned up at police stations or morgues.

Optimism
While some Zimbabwe-based human activists may doubt they will find Chizuze, their exiled counterparts show optimism.

The Zimbabwe Solidarity Campaign (ZSC), based in Northern Ireland, recently staged protests in Belfast calling for global attention to the Chizuze case and to demand an end to other disappearances in Zimbabwe.

“We feel that we have to publicize the disappearance of Paul so that the world will know the plight of Zimbabweans,” said ZSC participant Memory Chatambudza. “He is still missing and we want him found, dead or alive, so that his family can get answers on what happened.”

Chatambudza says the international community appears to have forgotten the violence in Zimbabwe, yet abuses persist. With elections now around the corner, she expects violence to escalate.

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(NEWZIMBABWE) Biti: eating what you haven’t killed

Biti: eating what you haven’t killed
02/08/2012 00:00:00
by Resources Exploitation Watch

The following report was presented to the full trustees meeting of Resources Exploitation Watch in Durban on July 27, 2012, by the Sub-Committee on Revenue Watch:

THE whereabouts of the Government of Zimbabwe’s dividends from the Marange Diamond Fields continue to be topical with Minister of Finance, Hon Tendai Biti, making serious allegations of receipts plunder by the Zanu PF functionaries within the echelons of these mining activities.

In his 2012 mid-term Budget Statement, Minister Biti argues that from the projected US$600m, the treasury only received less than US$200m. He further intimated that the mining concerns continue to extract the resources and dispose the returns clandestinely. This assertion makes sad reading immediate as it comes soon after the certification of Anjin, Mbada and Marange Resources by the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme.

When crafting a national budget and establishing sources of the projected income, the fiscal authorities are expected to ensure that the source of revenue meets, inter alia, three key attributes.

Firstly, the source of revenue must be legal and governed by a distinct legal framework that regulates it. This entails that the presence of a clear legal frame work will eliminate or minimise revenue leakages, empowers the government to audit the source of revenue and also provide for criminal sanction should revenue remittance defaults arise.

Secondly, the source of revenue must be free from any political or economic encumbrances, either domestically or externally. This means that the subsistence of the source of revenue must not be subjected to embargoes or other inhibitions by whosever so that the tenure and security of the source of revenue is least interrupted to ensure continued harvest of revenue.

Thirdly, the source of revenue must have the total political will and support of the political actors (all of them in their diversity). This is key in ensuring that there is policy consistency at all time regardless of which political party or parties are in government in order to ensure that the source will not suffer any undue political interference.

Commercial and large-scale diamond mining started in Marange less than four years ago. To date, the aggregate investment of the five mining companies is circa US$800m and by far the biggest investment in Zimbabwe since 2000. These various diamond mines are largely a 50-50 joint venture between Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) and other foreign investors.

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ZMDC is a wholly-owned government of Zimbabwe entity and was established by an Act of Parliament, the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation Act, 31 of 1982. Its mandate is to, on behalf of government of Zimbabwe, conduct profitable and commercial mining ventures, jointly or solely.

In 2009, under serious budgetary pressures, a deal was struck with these mines to remit monthly to treasury funds to cover for “key government expenses, which include the civil service wage bill...” This development is unprecedented in the history of extractive mining in this country since the arrival of the Pioneer Column.

There is no mining house that had made payments to government in that fashion. Even Tony Rowland of the Lorhno fame would not have acceded to such request. To date, these diamond mines have contributed more than US$380m to the fiscus.

A common definition of a dividend is “a sum of money paid regularly by a company to its shareholders out of its profits.” These remittances from diamond mines cannot be classified as dividends because dividends, by their nature, are declared after a successful 12 months business calendar year showing surplus of after payments of all operating, fixed and statutory payments.

These remittances Biti is referring to are not outstanding statutory payments because all these five mines are up to date on their PAYE, VAT, royalties and income tax obligations. They may, however, qualify as shareholder’s loan. What makes this arrangement unique and unheard of is the fact shareholders (GoZ) want to receive funds before full recovery of the investment made.
Worldwide, investors always ensure that they have fully recover their investment before settlement of dividends.

Minister Biti has alleged, without providing empirical evidence, that these diamond mines are not remitting the funds to treasury as earlier agreed and are therefore siphoning the funds into a parallel economy that is being used to build a war chest for Zanu PF ahead of crucial elections. He further alleges that some of the key people in this diamond mining operation now own private jets and a string of concubines.

There is no law on our statutes that bans acquisition of jets by black people. It’s commonly known that any failure to remit a statutory payment to ZIMRA or Treasury attracts a fine. Why has Biti not garnished the bank accounts of these mines or better still not fined them?

The truth of the matter is that the arrangement to remit monthly payments is not legally-binding and therefore carries no criminal sanction. The arrangement was and is a mere gentlemen agreement reached to address a revenue deficit crisis that prevailed at that particular time and still continue to be with us. As a leading and prominent lawyer, Biti should have sanitised the arrangement and made it legally binding for both parties.

Section 33 of the Zimbabwe Mining Development Act states that “where in a financial year the revenues of the Corporation are more than sufficient... The corporation shall pay out of the surplus such dividends to its shareholders (Government of Zimbabwe, in this case) as the Board may determine in relation to that year.”

So the current and valid legal position is that ZMDC pay dividends once a year to treasury. Any other arrangement outside this provision is simply benevolent but not binding.

It is, therefore, an abuse of this gentleman’s agreement to demand these other diamond mines to perform when a number of variables have changed from date of initial “commitment” to date. For instance, diamond prices were circa US$70.00 per carat and have now plummeted to US$15.00 per carat. The United States has intensified its attack on Marange by now forcing all Indian cutters and polishers to declare that their diamonds used are not of Marange origin. This has seriously affected the number of bidders and as such when supply exceeds demand, prices drop.
Further, the Eurozone crisis has now affected demand prices for many commodities and diamonds are not spared.

It’s also important to mention that, according to Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, platinum still accounts for more than 45% of the mining receipts and by far the biggest earning commodity. There is no mention of the portion of the platinum receipts paid monthly, let alone annually to Treasury. Why has Treasury not made initiatives to ensure that Platinum mines also contribute to civil service wage bill?

Upon taking over the Ministry of Finance in 2009, Biti declared that the budget was going to operate on an “eat what you kill basis”. The inclusion of the diamond receipts in his 2012 forecast simply promised people food that was yet to be “killed”.

It will be indeed in the national interest if Minister Biti drops an activist approach on the diamond receipts matter and tell the truth.


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(NYT) U.S. Drug War Expands to Africa, a Newer Hub for Cartels

COMMENT - The US DEA is spreading it's 'war on drugs' to West Africa.

U.S. Drug War Expands to Africa, a Newer Hub for Cartels
By CHARLIE SAVAGE and THOM SHANKER
Published: July 21, 2012

William R. Brownfield of the State Department is a leading architect of new antidrug strategies.

WASHINGTON — In a significant expansion of the war on drugs, the United States has begun training an elite unit of counternarcotics police in Ghana and planning similar units in Nigeria and Kenya as part of an effort to combat the Latin American cartels that are increasingly using Africa to smuggle cocaine into Europe.

The growing American involvement in Africa follows an earlier escalation of antidrug efforts in Central America, according to documents, Congressional testimony and interviews with a range of officials at the State Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pentagon.

In both regions, American officials are responding to fears that crackdowns in more direct staging points for smuggling — like Mexico and Spain — have prompted traffickers to move into smaller and weakly governed states, further corrupting and destabilizing them.

The aggressive response by the United States is also a sign of how greater attention and resources have turned to efforts to fight drugs as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have wound down.

“We see Africa as the new frontier in terms of counterterrorism and counternarcotics issues,” said Jeffrey P. Breeden, the chief of the D.E.A.’s Europe, Asia and Africa section. “It’s a place that we need to get ahead of — we’re already behind the curve in some ways, and we need to catch up.”

The initiatives come amid a surge in successful interdictions in Honduras since May — but also as American officials have been forced to defend their new tactics after a commando-style team of D.E.A. agents participated in at least three lethal interdiction operations alongside a squad of Honduran police officers. In one of those operations, in May, the Honduran police killed four people near the village of Ahuas, and in two others in the past month American agents have shot and killed smuggling suspects.

To date, officials say, the D.E.A. commando team has not been deployed to work with the newly created elite police squads in Africa, where the effort to counter the drug traffickers is said to be about three years behind the one in Central America.

The officials said that if Western security forces did come to play a more direct operational role in Africa, for historical reasons they might be European and not American.

In May, William R. Brownfield, the assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law enforcement, a leading architect of the strategy now on display in Honduras, traveled to Ghana and Liberia to put the finishing touches on a West Africa Cooperative Security Initiative, which will try to replicate across 15 nations the steps taken in battling trafficking groups operating in Central America and Mexico.

Mr. Brownfield said the vision for both regions was to improve the ability of nations to deal with drug trafficking, by building up their own institutions and getting them to cooperate with one another, sharing intelligence and running regional law enforcement training centers.

But because drug traffickers have already moved into Africa, he said, there is also a need for the immediate elite police units that have been trained and vetted.

“We have to be doing operational stuff right now because things are actually happening right now,” Mr. Brownfield said.

Some specialists have expressed skepticism about the approach. Bruce Bagley, a professor at the University of Miami who focuses on Latin America and counternarcotics, said that what had happened in West Africa over the past few years was the latest example of the “Whac-A-Mole” problem, in which making trafficking more difficult in one place simply shifts it to another.

“As they put on the pressure, they are going to detour routes, but they are not going to stop the flow, because the institutions are incredibly weak — I don’t care how much vetting they do,” Professor Bagley said. “And there is always blowback to this. You start killing people in foreign countries — whether criminals or not — and there is going to be fallout.”

American government officials acknowledge the challenges, but they are not as pessimistic about the chances of at least pushing the trafficking organizations out of particular countries. And even if the intervention leads to an increase in violence as organizations that had operated with impunity are challenged, the alternative, they said, is worse.

“There is no such thing as a country that is simply a transit country, for the very simple reason that the drug trafficking organization first pays its network in product, not in cash, and is constantly looking to build a greater market,” Mr. Brownfield said. “Regardless of the name of the country, eventually the transit country becomes a major consumer nation, and at that point they have a more serious problem.”

The United Nations says that cocaine smuggling and consumption in West Africa have soared in recent years, contributing to instability in places like Guinea-Bissau. Several years ago, a South American drug gang tried to bribe the son of the Liberian president to allow it to use the country for smuggling. Instead, he cooperated with the D.E.A., and the case resulted in convictions in the United States.

Even more ominous, according to American officials, was a case in which a militant group called Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb offered three of its operatives to help ship tons of cocaine through North Africa into Europe — all to raise money to finance terrorist attacks. The case ended this past March with conviction and sentencing in federal court in New York.

American counternarcotics assistance for West Africa has totaled about $50 million for each of the past two years — up from just $7.5 million in 2009, according to the State Department. The D.E.A. also is opening its first country office in Senegal, officials said, and the Pentagon has worked with Cape Verde to establish a regional center to detect drug-smuggling ships.

While the agency has not sponsored units in West Africa before, it has long worked with similar teams — which are given training, equipment and pay while being subjected to rigorous drug and polygraph testing — in countries around the world whose security forces are plagued by corruption, including the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama.

It is routine for D.E.A. agents who are assigned to mentor the specially trained and screened units to accompany them on raids, but it has been unusual for Americans to kill suspects. Several former agents said the recent cases in Honduras suggested that the D.E.A. had been at the vanguard of the operations there rather than merely serving as advisers in the background.

By contrast, the effort in West Africa is still at the beginning stages, officials say. But the problems there are the same — and growing. Officials described one instance in which a methamphetamine lab was discovered in Africa, with documents suggesting that it had been set up by a Mexican trafficking organization.

William F. Wechsler, the Pentagon’s top counternarcotics officer, said that observing drug traffickers’ advances into West Africa, and the response from American and local authorities, was like watching a rerun of the drug war in this hemisphere in years past.

“West Africa is now facing a situation analogous to the Caribbean in the 1980s, where small, developing, vulnerable countries along major drug-trafficking routes toward rich consumers are vastly under-resourced to deal with the wave of dirty money coming their way,” he said.

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Friday, August 03, 2012

(LUSAKATIMES) Mugabe expected in Zambia today

Mugabe expected in Zambia today
TIME PUBLISHED - Thursday, August 2, 2012, 10:59 am

President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe is expected in Zambia today to officiate at the 86th Agricultural and Commercial show which opened its gates to the public at 08: 00 hours. Mr. Mugabe is expected to be accompanied by his wife Grace.

According to the updates from the meeting of the Standing Committee of Permanent Secretaries on State Functions held last week at Cabinet office in Lusaka, Mr. Mugabe is scheduled to land at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport tomorrow at about 13:00 hours.

He is later scheduled to hold talks with President Michael Sata at State House which will be followed by a state banquet in the evening.

Mr. Mugabe is also scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Zambia’s first President Kenneth Kaunda at his office on Friday and later visit SARO Agro Industries within Lusaka.

On the same day, the Zimbabwean Head of State is expected to visit ZAMBEEF Huntley Farm in Chisamba, which is located less than 100 kilometres from the city.

Presidents Mugabe and Sata are on Saturday expected to be at the show grounds for the officials opening of the 86th Agricultural and Commercial show.

The two Presidents will earlier on the same day tour stands and pavilions.

As the two presidents will be touring, First lady Christine Kaseba-Sata will lead her Zimbabwean counterpart in touring selected stands before joining their husbands for the official opening in the afternoon.

The show society has since organised a luncheon at midday for the two Heads of State and the First Ladies at the Polo Grill which is just behind the show grounds.

Mr. Mugabe and his wife are expected to leave for Zimbabwe on Sunday morning.


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(LUSAKATIMES) Mugabe receives a grand welcome

Mugabe receives a grand welcome
TIME PUBLISHED - Friday, August 3, 2012, 10:13 am

ZIMBABWEAN President Robert Mugabe is in Zambia on a three-day visit that will see him officially open this year’s Agricultural and Commercial Show in Lusaka.

Mr Mugabe arrived in the country aboard a commercial Air Zimbabwe plane which touched down at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport at 14:00 hours. Mr Mugabe is accompanied by his wife, Grace.

Mr Mugabe, who is also accompanied by some of his Cabinet ministers and other government officials, was met on arrival by President Sata and his wife, Dr Christine Kaseba.

Others at the airport were Vice-President Guy Scott, some Cabinet ministers, service chiefs, some diplomats accredited to Zambia from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and government officials.

Mr Mugabe was accorded a 21-gun salute as the brass band played music before inspecting a guard of honour mounted by the Second Battalion Regiment of the Zambia Army.

The Zimbabwean head of State was also treated to some cultural dances by local ensembles before boarding the presidential limousine and heading to State House.

Last night, President Sata hosted a State banquet in honour of the visiting Zimbabwean leader at State House.

Today, the Zimbabwean leader is meeting first President Kenneth Kaunda at his office, and later he will visit Saro Agric Equipment Company.
He will also visit Huntley Farm in Chisamba.
On Saturday morning, he will officially open the show and tour some stands. Mr Mugabe leaves Zambia on Sunday.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

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(LUSAKATIMES) MMD and PF will never match infrastructure development under UNIP reign

MMD and PF will never match infrastructure development under UNIP reign
TIME PUBLISHED - Friday, August 3, 2012, 10:45 am

United National Independence Party (UNIP) President Tilyenji Kaunda says the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) did not exhibit Christian values during its twenty year rule because abuse of authority and misapplication of funds was the order of the day.

Mr Kaunda observed that a number of irregularities in the use of public resources were reported in the Auditor General‘s report each year adding that some went scot free.

He commended the Patriotic Front (PF) government for exposing the MMD corrupt ways of governing the country.

Mr Kaunda was speaking when he officially opened the UNIP audit and mobilization meeting at Fern Guest House in Chipata yesterday.

“A lot of money went missing from government coffers, yet very little was done to curb the situation,’ he said.

Meanwhile, UNIP Vice President Njekwa Anamela said the MMD has nothing to show for its twenty year rule of the nation.

Mr Anamela said the MMD failed to deliver to the people of Zambia during its tenure and noted that last minute efforts to construct and rehabilitate roads failed because the party was already out of favour hence its losing the election.

He boasted that the MMD and the ruling PF have never and will never match what UNIP did in infrastructure development.

“Our party has a track record that will never be matched by even the PF which has already exhibited an incoherent manner of governing,” he said.

And Mr Anamela said there was need to have good agriculture policies that will motivate farmers in the country.

He stated that the capitalist way of thinking that the forces of demand and supply determine prices of products will lead to an economic downfall.

“Government should not allow farmers to be subjected to poor market prices of cotton on pretext that prices are determined by demand and supply,” he said.


The UNIP Vice President stated that it is sad that farmers who account for more that 50 percent of the Zambian population have been denied and government should have considered addressing the cotton issue.

ZANIS

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Thursday, August 02, 2012

'Zim's reforms shouldn't be about getting Mugabe out'

'Zim's reforms shouldn't be about getting Mugabe out'
By Bivan Saluseki in Harare, Zimbabwe
Wed 01 Aug. 2012, 10:40 CAT

ZIMBABWE'S constitutional law expert Prof Lovemore Madhuku says it is wrong for Zimbabwe's reform agenda to be set around getting President Robert Mugabe out of power. And one of Zimbabwe's political think-tanks, Dr Ibo Mandaza, says Zimbabwe is far from a worst case scenario in terms of adherence to democratic tenets.

During a roundtable discussion with representatives of selected influential SADC media in Harare on Monday, Prof Madhuku said President Mugabe was aware that the West, some media organisations and the opposition wanted him out of power as their reform agenda.

"Everything is about Mugabe getting out. And he does not want to get out. He knows people want him out. That has been the difficult part. Everything is about Mugabe getting out. It's not what society ultimately wants. And that is the biggest mistake," Prof Madhuku said.

He said there was need to look beyond President Mugabe and address issues that would ultimately put in a leadership people desire.

Prof Madhuku suggested that reforms should revolve around having a good constitution and devolving power from the presidency.

He said he gets irritated with the agenda of embassies such as the US where every discourse was about getting President Mugabe out of power.
"I get irritated. I don't think we can get anywhere with such kind of reform," he said.

Prof Madhuku said reform should be deep and genuinely engaging of all parties.
He said the opposition was playing a very irresponsible role of just 'saying help us get Mugabe out.'

Prof Madhuku said currently, the US wanted free and fair elections in Zimbabwe without looking at the contents of the constitution which to him was a dishonest approach.

He said currently, the draft constitution provided for more powers of the President but the US was not talking about it because they were just concentrating on removing Mugabe.

Prof Madhuku said there was need to change the international perception of Zimbabwe in the SADC region.

And Dr Mandaza said despite the economic problems, Zimbabwe was far from worst case scenario in terms of democracy.
He said problems in Zimbabwe were being highlighted because of the country's geopolitical position.

Dr Mandaza said Zimbabwe had one of the most informed societies and the resources including a resilient citizenry.
He, however, said party lines had become very blurred in Zimbabwe and the ultimate focus was to get President Mugabe out irrespective of where they were getting their support.

Dr Mandaza said if President Mugabe was out of the equation, it would be very difficult for the opposition to manage power amongst themselves.
"They have failed to assert the reform agenda," he said.

Dr Mandaza also said even ZANU PF was dying at the hands of President Mugabe.
"It's not the party of liberation anymore. The UNIP experience appears to be what awaits ZANU PF. Here, there will be a possible emergence of a new party of under 50s," said Dr Mandaza.

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(NYASATIMES) Tembo calls for universal fertiliser subsidy

COMMENT - FSP worked extremely well under President Bingu wa Mutharika. The only ones who object to the subsidy of Malawian farmers are the World Bank and IMF. As usual, they reject programmes that have been proven to work, and saved everyone $58 million ($62 million for the FSP instead of $120 million going to maize imports), because they don't fit their free trade dogma. Supposedly, because they don't object to the same subsidies time millions, when they are given go US and EU agribusinesses.

Tembo calls for universal fertiliser subsidy
By Charles Kufa, Nyasa Times
July 31, 2012

Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president and Leader of Opposition in Parliament, John Tembo, has resounded his call for a universal fertilizer subsidy, saying it could be the possible solution for the country‘s agriculture production.

Speaking at a public meeting he held in Dedza North West constituency, the veteran politician said it does not make sense “for few people” benefitting from one bag of fertiliser and yet the rest are buying the same commodity at K12, 000.

He said more Malawians who would want to contribute to the country’s agriculture production need more than a bag of fertiliser.

Tembo also said law enforcing agents should deal with anybody who involved in corruption for the provision of fertiliser subsidy and distribution “no matter how high the person.”

Tembo: Universal fertiliser subsidy

Politics

On political front, Tembo said he was committed to have Malawi with a constructive opposition and not destructive.

Tembo said he will continue to give advice to the Head of State and that he will not necessarily oppose for the sake of it.

“We wish to contribute to the development of Malawi,” he said.

Tembo said he was confident the 2014 general elections will be credible, free and fair, said President Mrs Joyce Banda has refused to maintain the “rigging machine” that former ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) were using in elections.

Tembo said MCP will hold a national convention to select a presidential candidate but did not disclose the dates.

He said MCP is the only party today which has roots and that he will strive to keep the party strong.

Tembo said anybody who want MCP to be weak or disband are “wasting their time.”

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Wednesday, August 01, 2012

(NEW YORK TIMES) In Zimbabwe Land Takeover, a Golden Lining

COMMENT - A rather schizoid article from the New York Times. They are trying to adjust the narrative, instead of going to the facts and the truth right away.

In Zimbabwe Land Takeover, a Golden Lining
Lynsey Addario for The New York Times
By LYDIA POLGREEN
Published: July 20, 2012

HARARE, Zimbabwe — When Roger Boka started his auction business in the 1990s, this city’s tobacco trading floors were hushed places, save the mellifluous patter of the auctioneer. A handful of white farmers, each selling hundreds of bales of tobacco, arrived in sport utility vehicles, checking into the city’s best hotels while waiting for their big checks to be cut.

During this year’s auction season, a very different scene unfolded underneath the cavernous roof of the Bock Tobacco Auction Floors. Each day, hundreds of farmers arrived in minibuses and on the backs of pickup trucks, many with wives and children in tow. They camped in open fields nearby and swarmed to the cacophonous floor to sell their crop. The place was lively and crowded; two women gave birth on the auction floor. The most obvious difference, though, was the color of their faces: every single one of them was black.

“You used to only see white faces here,” said Rudo Boka, Mr. Boka’s daughter, who now runs the family business. “Now it is for everybody. It is a beautiful sight.”

Before Zimbabwe’s government began the violent and chaotic seizure of white-owned farms in 2000, fewer than 2,000 farmers were growing tobacco, the country’s most lucrative crop, and most were white. Today, 60,000 farmers grow tobacco here, the vast majority of them black and many of them working small plots that were allotted to them in the land upheavals. Most had no tobacco farming experience yet managed to produce a hefty crop, rebounding from a low of 105 million pounds in 2008 to more than 330 million pounds this year.

[Gee, I wonder how that's possible. Are you sure they had no experience growing tobacco? - MrK]


The success of these small-scale farmers has led some experts to reassess the legacy of Zimbabwe’s forced land redistribution, even as they condemn its violence and destruction.

[Much of the destruction was done by the white farmers themselves, so the New Farmers couldn't make a go of it. Read Prof. Scoones book. - MrK]


The takeover of white commercial farms was a disaster for Zimbabwe on many levels. It undermined one of Africa’s sturdiest economies, and as growth contracted and its currency became worthless because of hyperinflation, joblessness and hunger grew. Large chunks of land were handed to cronies of President Robert Mugabe, many of whom did not farm them.

[Proof? Because it is now generally recognized that most land went to small farmers, which is how over 200,000 families could received land under the Fast Track program. - MrK]


It spurred a political crisis and violent reprisals by the security forces that have killed hundreds of people. Yields on food and cash crops plummeted.

[Actually the biggest damage was done by the destruction of the Zimbabwe Dollar through ZDERA. - MrK]


But amid that pain, tens of thousands of people got small farm plots under land reform,

[Hundreds of thousands - of families. Well over a million people if you count their wifes and children. - MrK]


and in recent years many of these new farmers overcame early struggles to fare pretty well.

[They've overcame the destruction of the national currency. If you look at the 2 years preceding the introduction of ZDERA on Jan. 1st 2002, exports actually grew in 2000 and 2001. It is only in 2002 that they cratered. Section 4C of ZDERA puts a credit freeze on the Zimbabwean government. Business is done on credit, and the year ZDERA came into force (2002), the rising export surplus turned into an export deficit. - MrK]


With little choice but to work the land, the small-scale farmers have made a go of it, producing yields that do not match those of the white farmers whose land they were given, but are far from the disaster many anticipated, some analysts and scholars say.

“We cannot make excuses for the way it was carried out,” said Ian Scoones, an expert on farming at the University of Sussex who has been intensively studying land reform in Zimbabwe for the past decade. “But there are many myths that have taken hold — that land reform has been an unmitigated disaster, that all the land has been taken over by cronies in the ruling party, that the whole thing has been a huge mess. It has not. Nor has it been a roaring success.”

The result has been a broad, if painful, shift of wealth in agriculture from white commercial growers on huge farms to black farmers on much smaller plots of land.

[I would't call 50 hectares 'a small plot' by any measure. The average farm in the EU is 90 hectares. Before landreform, the average white 'farm' (estate) was 2500 hectares. - MrK]


Last year, these farmers shared $400 million worth of tobacco, according to the African Institute for Agrarian Studies, earning on average $6,000 each, a vast sum to most Zimbabweans.

[Now you know why people in Africa are poor, and what to do about it. - MrK]


“The money that was shared between 1,500 large-scale growers is now shared with 58,000 growers, most of them small scale,” said Andrew Matibiri, the director of Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board. “That is a major change in the country.”

The new farmers are receiving virtually no assistance from the government, which for years poured money into larger farms given to politically connected elites.

[If you can prove that, go ahead. However, the reason the government isn't giving more support to the New Farmers is not because they are elitists and don't want them to succeed, but because they are under economic sanctions like the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001, S.494 of the 107th US Senate, sponsored by Bill Frist, co-sponsored by Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Russ Feingold and Jesse Helms. - MrK]


Instead, farmers are getting help from the tobacco industry, in the form of loans, advances and training. It is in Ms. Boka’s interest to revive the industry, so the company has invested heavily in helping farmers improve the yields and quality.

Tobacco is a tricky crop, requiring precise application of fertilizer and careful reaping. It must then be cured and graded properly to fetch a top price.

[It's a green leafy plant (that doesn't even need to be flowered). If you think it is difficult to grow, check out the following http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk0isOfDGSQ

Recently, Alex Vokoto, head of public relations at the auction house, spotted several bales of desirable tobacco leaves cured to a honey color on the floor, and hustled the man who grew them, Stuart Mhavei, into the V.I.P. lounge for a cup of coffee and a chat.

“This man is growing top-quality tobacco, and he has only been at it for three years,” Mr. Vokoto said.

Mr. Mhavei, a 40-year-old tile layer, got a small piece of a tobacco farm several years ago in the town of Centenary in central Mashonaland, about 80 miles from Harare.

“All the big guys who got land, they are doing nothing,” Mr. Vokoto said. “But these small guys are working hard and really producing.”

Mr. Mhavei has steadily increased his yield, quality and income. So far this season, he has earned more than $10,000 on part of a vast farm that once belonged to a white family, investing the profits in a truck to transport his tobacco, as well as renting the truck to other farmers.

Mr. Mhavei said that like many of the other people who got land, he supports Mr. Mugabe and his party, ZANU-PF.

“Why should one white man have all this?” he asked, sweeping an arm across the lush, rolling farmland around his fields. “This is Zimbabwe. Black people must come first.”

Charles Taffs, president of the Commercial Farmers Union, said that the industry could have been transformed to include more black farmers in a much less destructive way.

“The tragedy with tobacco is that expansion, if they had the right policies, could have been done in the 1990s in conjunction with the commercial sector,” Mr. Taffs said. Instead, hundreds of thousands of workers have lost their jobs and the country has suffered huge economic losses as a result.

The personal cost for white commercial farmers has been immense. One white tobacco farmer in northern Zimbabwe whose family purchased its land after independence described the slow, painful erosion of his family’s livelihood.

“Now that we are down to less than 200 hectares, there isn’t enough income to support everyone,” said the farmer, who asked not to be identified because he feared seizure of even more land if he spoke out. A plot of 200 hectares is less than 500 acres.

His brother had to leave the farm to find work elsewhere, and his own future was deeply uncertain. The farm employs far fewer workers. Yields are down since critical investments in irrigation and other infrastructure have been put off, he said.

“We are Zimbabweans,” the farmer said. “We employ people, and take care of our workers. It is really painful to see this happening to our country.”

The tobacco yield is still below its peak in 2000, when the crop hit 522 million pounds. But Tendai Murisa, a researcher who has studied tobacco farming since land reform, said that judging the success of land reform by looking at production figures misses a crucial point.

“No one ever argued that this is a more productive form of farming,” Mr. Murisa said. “But does it share wealth more equitably? Does it give people a sense of dignity and ownership? Those things have value, too.”

A version of this article appeared in print on July 21, 2012, on page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: In Zimbabwe Land Takeover, a Golden Lining.

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