Democratising Africa, American sanctions on Zimbabwe

Abstract

The United States imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe as an instrument of achieving peaceful democratic change and assist the people of Zimbabwe achieve economic growth. For over a decade, Zimbabwe was under the sanctions targeted at individual government officials and companies aligned to government. The international community was polarized over the issue of whether the sanctions were justified and really targeted as their effects impacted on the population that they were supposed to emancipate. The imposition of sanctions on Zimbabwe has been a subject of debate and conjecture. Some of the challenges experienced in Zimbabwe were ascribed to the sanctions. A comparison of the pre-sanctions and sanctions periods revealed the major effects of the punitive measures. This study examined the credibility and legitimacy of the sanctions as an instrument of democratization and regime change as major powers pursue their interests. The study also analysed the structures of governance, democracy history of Zimbabwe, and the causes and effects of American sanctions with the objective of establishing the real or perceived outcomes. The study argues that the sanctions were meant to effect regime change under the veil of democratizing the target state