The Politics of Bitterness: Understanding the Zimbabwean Crisis 1980 - 2005

Since the year 2000, Zimbabwean society has been facing enormous problems of a political, economic and social nature, which collectively constitute what has been called the Zimbabwean crisis. The major issues include governance, economic meltdown, a disputed land reform process, drought and hunger, the HIV and AIDS pandemic, an exodus of professionals, and a determination for regime change by some superpowers. There are those who work tirelessly to try and resolve some of Zimbabwe's problems, but there are also those who work hard to accentuate the crisis in order to gain political mileage. There is no general consensus as to what exactly constitutes the Zimbabwean crisis, how it started and how to resolve it. Each stakeholder emphasizes the explanation which would further their own interests at any one time. Most of those who get involved pull in different directions, there is no common purpose even in the international community, and no common national agenda internally. It seems that the main reason for this lack of common purpose is the acute polarization of Zimbabwean politics which perpetuates moods of bitterness among Zimbabweans, and by extension, lack of agreement by the international community on how to handle the Zimbabwean crisis.