Zimbabwe came under the spotlight this week following recent events in that country. And, as was to be expected, there has been a lot of huffing and puffing by Washington and London about the situation in Zimbabwe following incidents of violence in Harare last Sunday involving the police and members of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). It is no secret that these two nations have been nursing a secret agenda against Zimbabwe. The events in Zimbabwe have therefore provided an opportunity and impetus for them to act. They have been itching to act against that country. Some years ago, a former US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Mark Bellamy said Washington “may have to be prepared to take some very intrusive, interventionist measures …” against Zimbabwe. He went on: “… the dilemmas in the next six months may bring us face to face with Zimbabwe’s sovereignty”. Bellamy’s statement then was a pointer to the US policy towards Zimbabwe and it is clear that it is crafted around regime change. The US and Britain are now considering new sanctions against Zimbabwe, we are told. This is part of an orchestrated campaign to unseat the democratically elected government of President Robert Mugabe whose land reform policy has irked the west. Amidst threats and the sabre-rattling surrounding Zimbabwe, governments and mass media around the world are being mobilised to act in concert by condemning the government of Zimbabwe. Pressure is overtly and covertly being applied on governments in the region through public opinion to denounce Mugabe and his government. The focus on Zimbabwe provides a convenient escape by Washington and London from the pressing problems of Iraq and Afghanistan where they continue to lose soldiers and money. We are glad that our government has refused to be frog marched, like sheep to slaughter, into joining the chorus of those being used to tongue lash Zimbabwe. Namibia must be guided by its national interest first and foremost in its dealing with Zimbabwe, or any other country for that matter. Our national interest is paramount and no one needs to define it for us. All countries are guided by national interest before anything else in their dealings with one another. The United States and Britain were at one time buddies of unpopular repressive regimes. They still are. Saddam Hussein of Iraq or Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire were some of their best allies when it was in their national interest to have them as friends, even though they were brutal dictators who did not subscribe to democracy and the rule of law. The US, which fashioned the policy of Constructive Engagement with former minority white regimes in the 1980s against the liberation movements of Southern Africa, should appreciate the right of these movements which have become governments in many countries in the region to engage Zimbabwe constructively through quiet diplomacy. If it was right for these two countries to deal with Ian Smith who brutally and illegally ruled that country through so-called Constructive Engagement, surely it is the right of the governments in the region to try and influence the situation in Zimbabwe in the best way possible and without prescriptions? Zimbabwe is not the only African country, let alone in the world, that is beseiged by problems. Uganda, one of the darlings of the west has no democracy to talk about. Its opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye was imprisoned, tortured and barred from contesting elections. He was forced to flee the country to South Africa only to return later. Yet, reaction to the situation in Uganda from these quarters has been muted. Uganda is now tipped to host a meeting of the Commonwealth never mind that country’s failure to live up to the principles of the Commonwealth. Can anybody tell us why Zimbabwe is being treated differently from Uganda, for instance? Is it because Zimbabwe has antagonised white settlers through land reform and not Uganda? There are many hot spots around the world where lives have become so cheap. Palestinians are dying every day. The merciless Israeli army kills them. The US and Britain dare not lift a finger. Israel has always escaped the hammer at the United Nations thanks to the US which cites its national interest. Iraqis are caught up in sectarian violence. Those occupying their country have killed many. Those leading the pack against Zimbabwe have skeletons in their closets, be it at Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo Bay, hence, they have no moral ground from where to point fingers. Namibians must help Zimbabweans overcome their problems through wise counselling and not wild condemnations meant for public consumption. Zimbabwe is our neighbour and Zimbabweans our brothers and sisters. Perhaps, others can afford Iraq type chaos in Zimbabwe because they live too far away. We cannot. We should look at what is happening in countries like Jordan, Syria and Iran. These countries have their hands full because of the folly of others – those who stirred trouble in Iraq. We must never allow that. We must never allow the state of Zimbabwe to collapse. Zimbabweans will resolve their problems with assistance from those who care more about their country. Troublemakers are never in the habit of fixing problems. Again, Iraq is a case in point.