[quadrant]

I know the people of this sad country are undergoing a great deal of pain, but I cannot shake the thought that they wanted this. They wanted majority rule, and they have to live with the consequences.

[HostileTerritory]

They wanted majority rule, and they have to live with the consequences.

That's ridiculous. Majority rule does not mean indefinite suspension of elections and civil liberties--if anything, it means the opposite. Mugabe has corrupted the electoral process and the majority would happily throw him out on his ass in the ballot box if they could.

The comparison is not with Ian Smith's government, which meant eternal purgatory for the African majority, but for the democracy and moderate prosperity that countries such as Botswana have achieved and which South Africa has been moving toward to per what I read in the Economist.