Abstract
Economic and political crisis is severe in Zimbabwe and it is central to the domestic and higher levels of internal conflicts in the country. These have contributed towards the attainment of instability in the nation and massive movement of people to other countries in search of peace. The instability has also affected the regional trade patterns and interaction level, as well as the scarcity for essential services and goods for human survival in various countries. As such, this paper indicates why Zimbabwe is a failing nation and discusses the impact of such a failure.
1. Why does the country of choice hold its ranking?
Zimbabwe holds its current ranking of number 10 because of the deterioration of the economic and political situations for over a decade. Currently, citizens of Zimbabwe often experience higher inflation rates higher than 165,000 percent, intimidated and marginalized political opposition, and shortage-inducing price controls (Tekere, & Kuda, 1999). Efforts to criticize abuse of human rights and mismanagement of politics and economic growth of the country receive a strong opposition from the President Robert Mugabe. As such, majority of the Zimbabweans are on the run to the neighboring countries while those that remain are not free from the economic hardship.
2.) What are the regional implications of the country's instability?
The instability in Zimbabwe has resulted in the emergence of several civil society groups in the region, which are seeking to work together in order to attain a negotiated solution, which will contribute towards the end to the crisis. However, these groups face a challenge of handling the growing number of Zimbabwean refugees in the nearby camps. Regional investors have also lost confidence in the country because of indigenization and weak economic empowerment laws (Moyo, 2000). This has been evidenced in the reduction of the trade that occurs among the regional based countries with Zimbabwe, which is attributed to the regional political instability.
Challenges, which Zimbabweans face, will not end after crossing the border. As these individuals find refuge in South Africa, the government of South Africa characterizes them as “voluntary economic migrants”. As such, between 2000 and 2008 march, there were approximately 66,578 new asylum applicants Zimbabweans. Out of these, 4,040 were rejected and only 710 were granted refugee. Further, these immigrants contribute to the rise o regional social problems, which include lack of adequate healthcare and education services, as well as limited supplies for the food needed to feed the growing population.
3.) How does the country's level of instability impact U.S. national security interests?
Corruption is a key issue in Zimbabwe. This implies that U.S. national security interests will not attain the expected objectives because of the increment in the level of the corruption in the country. The uncertainty level is also undermining the level of economic recovery, which is linked to the cumulative decline over a decade. With the loss of monetary country in the country, U.S. is facing external shocks as the dollar is fluctuating. Hence, the interest of U.S. national security is being affected negatively considering that Zimbabwe has large debts in World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). As the U.S. national security focuses on bringing a level of stability in the country, the political and economic environment does not provide an infrastructure, which would facilitate in establishment of successful programs for national security interests.
4.) What polices/programs are instituted by the U.S. Department of State in the county to assist or bolster its capabilities to improve governance?
U.S department of state has instituted a program on political affairs in Zimbabwe. This aimed at addressing the complex issues, which this country faces in terms of political instability. The program also seeks to end the political stalemate, which is being experienced and offering advisory services in terms of governance by bringing into the table the rival parties for negotiation purposes (Chattopadhyay, 2000). This program is integrated with business and economic affairs strategy, which focuses on attainment of economic recovery in the nation. Zimbabwe has suffered a long lasting economic decline for over a decade, which has been evidenced by the massive immigrants of Zimbabweans. Therefore, support of the economic recovery is a key strategy, which will contribute towards the regaining of the political stability in the country. Moreover, U.S. department of state has set-up a civil group, which is focused on addressing the challenges faced by refugees in their new homes. This group also ensures that human rights are not abused and there is equal treatment of all individuals in society. The group is also mandated with facilitating the provision of essential services, which will support the growth and development of the country.
5.) How could the Civil Affairs core tasks and their sub-sets affect the Department of State, Department of Defense, and USAID's objective for the country?
The Civil Affairs task on national assistance would contribute towards ending the existing instability in Zimbabwe. Such assistance would be in the form of advisory services of governance and bringing into understanding of the conflicting parties on the need to embrace a concept of national unity (Berger, 2008). The assistance should also focus on the provision of basic needs and services of the citizens in this country. Civil Affairs also need to provide foreign humanitarian assistance by taking into consideration of the key challenges that refugees from this country are facing, as well as the remaining population. Such assistance should further include advocating for embracing of human rights to avoid abuse or violation of the same. Moreover, there is a need for Civil Affairs to provide civil management and support to the administration in order to foster effective running of the governance structure in the country. This should include how to control and populace resources to ensure that there is no unnecessary competition, which may result into a civil war in the nation.
References
Berger, S. (2008). ‘Final humiliation for the Zimbabwe dollar as foreign currency legalized’, The
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Chattopadhyay, R. (2000). "Zimbabwe: Structural Adjustment, Destitution, and Food
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Moyo, S. (2000). Land Reform under Structural Adjustments in Zimbabwe-Land Use in the
Mashonaland Provinces. Uppsala: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet.
Tekere, M, & Kuda, N. (1999). Study on the impact of the WTO and other international trade
agreements on Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector: Key issues for WTO 2000, conference proceedings paper. Harare (mimeo).
