The Most Repressive Regime

Of all of the labels one would try to avoid, the leader of the most repressive regime would be one, I would think, could float to the top of my priority list. But than the guys, and they always seem to be guys, that get the title don't seem to mind the insult. In fact, they seem to go out of their way to let the world know that they don't care. This uncaring, egotistical bravado tends to push them up the list toward the number one spot.

Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe seems to in the running to take over for Saddam Hussein in the coveted top spot for despots. He'll have to go aways to get past the current President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad's in the lead because he's pissing us off directly, but when it comes to suppression of his own people, Mugabe is clearly in the lead. Mugabe is forced to use the cruder tactic's of competition because he has no nuclear weapons. It's like the schoolyard. Teachers might be afraid of the bully, but the kid with the gun is always going to get more attention.

Which leads me to my next thought. Why don't we invade the Sudan or Zimbabwe? They don't have weapons of mass destruction. Their people are probably desirous of a free democratic society. There has to be some natural resources that are strategic to our national security. The government of these countries have to be harboring terrorists of some stripe, even if they don't know it. These situations have all the qualifications for a first class pre-emptive war.

The problem is that by putting boots on the ground in these countries, we would have to engage in nation building, and we have no demonstrated talent for that kind of endeavour. However, It would stop the wholesale repression of a totally innocent people who can't defend themselves. We might even be able to build a coalition of African States to help us. Mugabe has to be an embarrassment to his neighbors and he is causing a refuge problem. if we help Africans take care of African problems we might even build some friendships with a continent where we have few if any friends.

But wait. what am I thinking? We can't invade a freely elected dictatorship just because we don't like what's going on. Even if we wanted to, we are tied down in a massive democratization project in the middle east. We haven't the resources or the manpower available to take on a two-bit thug like Mugabe.