Recently, the ex-president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, was thrown out of office. Mugabe was a pseudo-president that resembled a dictator rather than a democratic leader. Along with this, he was accused by other countries and IGOs such as the EU to have violated basic human rights and oppressing his people. Thus these countries, members of the EU as well as the United States, placed sanctions on Zimbabwe causing catastrophe in their economy. Now that Mugabe has been overthrown, it was believed by many that the sanctions placed on Zimbabwe would be lifted; however, the United States has placed even more sanctions, which may come under review later, on people of the country based on the thought that the current president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, was put into power by a military coup.
The United States is taking caution in their response to the overthrow of Mugabe, most likely because of its experience in the past. The deposition of the Afghan government in the early 2000s resulted in the rise of Al Qaeda, a worse adversary in comparison. Thus, the reaction to the forceful removal of a president by the military is likely to put U.S. leaders on edge, especially in a country like Zimbabwe where the average citizen can barely afford a sustainable amount of food let alone weapons to defend themselves from a potentially power-hungry military.
In spite of this, President Mnangagwa “has pledged a free and fair election” which, if it is followed through with, could ease the worries of U.S. policy makers and lift some sanctions that are hurting the country. Though it is possible that this new administration in Zimbabwe could simply be power-hungry, I have hope that they will be true to their promises because if they truly wished solely for power and influence, they most likely would have weaseled their way into Mugabe’s inner circle through bribes or other forms of influence.