Robert Mugabe, Al Ahram and the Axis of Comedy

On the 3rd of October 2007, Al Ahram reporter conducted an interview with Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe. In her interview introduction the reporter said that the West had accused Mugabe of being a bloody Dictator and Human Rights violator, but that she had found him to be a simple, humble and nice person. The interview was clearly target towards showing him as the victim of the West’s campaign against him.

In the interview Mugabe claimed that there was no economic crises in Zimbabwe and that the high unemployment rate was an exaggeration by his enemies. He also said that the situation in Zimbabwe was much better than that in many other countries and that services and health care was better than many other cases.

Mugabe who is the eternal Head of Government in Zimbabwe since 1980 is one of the world’s most notorious Dictators. According to human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch the government of Zimbabwe violates the rights to shelter, food, freedom of movement and residence, freedom of assembly and the protection of the law. There are assaults on the media, the political opposition, civil society activists, and human rights defenders.

He has also led his country to economic collapse and massive starvation. Zimbabwe has the highest inflation rate in the world predicted to hit 1.5 million % by the end of 2007, and is, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Africa's worst economic performer. With a record 85 % unemployment and ~8000 % inflation rates, Zimbabwe is in its worst economic crisis since Mugabe took power.

All of this interview is expected as Al Ahram’s definitions of Human Rights violations and economic crises are those of the Egyptian regime. That is to say very loose. The interview can be fairly seen as a Dictator’s gift to another.

What is hilarious however is the reporter’s following question:

Bush has said that Iran, Syria and Zimbabwe are the Axis of Evil and should be destroyed. What is your comment to that?

Zimbabwe ….. Axis of Evil?

Last I heard the term Axis of Evil was used by President Bush in his State of the Union Address on the 29th of January 2002 to describe governments that he accused of sponsoring terrorism and seeking weapons of mass destruction. Bush named Iraq, Iran, and North Korea in his speech. He defiantly did not name Zimbabwe in that.

On the 6th of May 2002, the United States, then Under Secretary of State, John Bolton gave a speech titled “Beyond the Axis of Evil” in which he added Cuba, Libya and Syria to the list. Again no mention of Zimbabwe.

The fact that the reporter had no idea what the Axis of Evil is, is a sad reflection of the quality of journalism that Egypt has now. The reporter had obviously no idea what the term meant or who was included. More frightening is the quality of editing in Al Ahram. No one in Al Ahram’s Editorial Team had obviously noticed such a grave mistake.

What is more frightening and laughable however is Mugabe’s answer. Mugabe said:

My comment is that George Bush is not God. He is the furthest from that. He is the man that represents the Axis of Evil in the world. Look at the lies that he has said and his occupation of Iraq and what he did to the prisoners in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, these are not simple accusations, they are a crime against Humanity. How can a man like that dare to accuse others. At least I haven’t killed anyone, his hands however are full of the blood of the innocent in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Robert Mugabe as it seems like the reporter had no clue of what the Axis of Evil was. I wouldn’t be surprised if very soon he will give a speech to the Zimbabwean people denouncing the Devil George Bush who said that Zimbabwe is in the Axis of Evil.

Truly an Axis of Comedy.