"...the decision by the most powerful governments in the UN to bypass a sovereign government in order to assist citizens in need impressed Vierra de Mello. Like many, he understood this to be the harbinger of a "new world order" in which citizens might be rescued from their abusive governments. He did not yet appreciate how unprepared the UN system was to tackle these complex new challenges."
-Samantha Power, Chasing the Flame: Sergio Vierra de Mello and the Fight to Save the World
Framed into the context of Zimbabwe, 2008, this passage concerning the hopeful changing role of the United Nations, circa 1991, seems painfully misguided. Again and again in the past and future, we hope that we learn from mistakes; that governments can take the moral and humane high road, act decisively, with human preservation and dignity as the compelling factor.
Zimbabwe, now: a catastrophe; the United Nations has delegated its authority to another governing body, another bloated bureaucracy, another largely ineffectual political tool, the African Union. Who knows if the leaders of Africa, many of whom have fought and couped their way into perpetual power, will create a defining moment in Sharm Al-Sheik, or if they will rest on their laurels, fall back on the typical, and the people of Zimbabwe, and Africa as a whole, will continue to struggle for survival.
Will the "new world order" that Sergio de Mello dreamed of decades ago begin to bear fruition with the condemnation and action against abhorrence? Will the African Union learn from the past, join together, understand that the common man is what all nations are built on, and act in defense of this lowest common denominator? Will the mechanisms that have been put into place to defend human rights function as their founders hoped?
One thing is clear; Mugabe must go. His mere presence is a cruel reminder of a day far gone; with him saddled up to the leadership table, it spoils the legitimacy of all others gathered.
“Zimbabwe is burning. It is on fire. It is important that the African leaders save it before it burns beyond recognition.”
-Thokozani Khupe, the vice president, Movement for Democratic Change
