re: 4 banjar
gyro, all I'm saying is that Mugabe is a mere mortal and there are powers and forces greater than him, nature being one of them. To me it is important to determine exactly what the problem is so that appropriate action can be taken if neccessary. To blame it all on his policies irrespective of whether there is a severe drought or not, and then try and fix the problem by applying sanctions is only going to worsen the situation. You clearly have little understanding of how devastating a drought can be. Farmers here in Australia have had to stand by and watch their stock and crops die during droughts, and despite all the technical and financial assistance this government can provide, have not been able to do a thing to stop it. It was you who first made comparisons between Australia and Zimbabwe in an earlier post by saying that Australia continues to export even during droughts. Maybe you should consider these comparisons. In terms of size and geogaphic location, Zimbabwe is about the size of the southern half of the Northern Territory, landlocked, and about the same distance from the equator. However unlike the NT is has mountains in the east but is mainly high plains. Of it's total area, less than 10% is arable, i.e. able to be farmed, and the major natural hazard is recurring drought. All of this has to support a population roughly half the size of Australia. There is no doubt that Mugabes land redistribution policy has caused problems, but it in itself is only a symptom of a bigger problem beyond that, that ultimate problem being that the country is overcrowded for what potential it has to provide for everyone. It is no use saying that everything was okay previously, what was the population then.
