Hasbara Buster
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West losing colonization leverage in Africa
Interview with George Shire
Press TV has conducted an interview with George Shire, a political analyst, in London, about Zimbabwe and EU negotiations that could see the EU contribute 200 million Euros to Zimbabwe’s development budget.
The following is an approximate transcript of the interview.
Press TV: Why is the EU seeking to reestablish trade links with Zimbabwe? Isn’t the answer obvious – economic expediency?
Shire: There are three things that I can think about: the first one is the kind of geo-political shifts not just in Zimbabwe, but in the region. I would say internationally. And in a way the West has failed to mobilize support for its Zimbabwe position – whether or not you agree, they have failed, they lost the argument.
The second thing is, there is a mood on the continent, which is what I would call de-Westernization. It is not the same as anti-Western, it means we no long necessarily take the line of thinking from the West alone, we can think from all sorts of places.
At the same time there is what I would call a de-colonial impulse, which means we want to decolonize our economic systems. There is a mood on the continent, which is like that.
And what that does, it means it undermines what would have been the major Western way of doing business. It’s losing out geo-politically in that sense.
So, the leverage that the west used to have on Zimbabwe, it no longer has. It has failed the argument.
The other Argument to make is that Robert Mugabe is going to assume or is about to assume the leadership of both SADC (Southern African Development Community) and the African Union. He represents whether you like it or not a sort of hard-line position in as much as relationships with the West are concerned.
And so having him onside is obviously strategically important to the West. So if you look at that way there is nowhere else for the west to go other than to find accommodation.
Press TV: Rather than Mugabe suffering it has been Europe itself that has been suffering. Isn’t that a major factor?
Shire: Europe is in serious trouble economically, I mean, the numbers of people… Portugal is borrowing money of Angola. Europe is in trouble economically and part of the reason in wanting to change course is trying to look for markets in order to rectify its economic decline. That’s the problem for Europe. Its interests are expanded as long as its economic base is secure.
They couldn’t give a damn about whether Zimbabweans are beating each other up. They are only interested in whether they can make money out of it. And given the competition they have with China they are going to have to change their gear. So, that’s what I meant by they no longer have a leverage in which they can maintain or change of government or whatever that might be.
Press TV: Indigenization is a key issue and was quite a strong positive for Zanu PF in the last elections because everybody wants to be economically in power do they not?
Shire: Economics is not some sort of separate discipline that is not connected to sociality, you know… how people live their lives; how they care for one another; how their sense of being...
In the heart of Zanu PF politics is the question of indigenization and the indigenization forms the basis in which you’d think out the economy. It’s not whether paragraph two or paragraph three needs to be reviewed and so on; but substantively that’s what it means.
The problem for the MDC (Movement for Political Change Party) – whether I like them or not is another matter – the problem for the MDC in as far as Zimbabwean people are concerned they are not seen as supportive of the principle of indigenization itself.
So, what that does is it plays in politically and ideologically into how people choose A or B. That’s one thing.
The second thing is you have to have an explanation why a number of people prior to July 30 last year we’re predicting that Zanu PF was going to win and those constituencies are not of Zanu PF people, these are people not aligned to anybody, independent analysts and so on… I talked about this on this problem and a number of others precisely about those kinds of predictions.
And so the popular mood in the country is about the question of indigenization, It’s not new…it explains why Robert Mugabe is popular throughout the whole region.
Press TV: What is life like for ordinary Zimbabweans because you are Zimbabwean?
Shire: If you want to ask Zimbabweans what life is like for them in Zimbabwe, ask Zimbabweans in Zimbabwe.
I want to get back to the substantive questions that have been raised here. We really need to get away from this myth that describes Zimbabwe as a ghost town and because Zimbabwe is described as a ghost town it frightens people off.
The industrialization in the region, the infrastructure in the region is old. Zimbabwe’s capacity to raise balance of payment… it doesn’t have balance of payments support from anyone… it cannot raise moneys from international finance to improve its infrastructure, which is old, dilapidated.
Press TV: Isn’t that where China is coming in?
Shire: That is where it’s coming in.
Secondly, it’s decided if it controls its own assets it will be able in the long term to redirect it to the infrastructure. Some of these guys want to wait for the moment when it’s good and then come in instead of going and saying right let’s work towards making it work. And that’s the difference; and that’s a solution.
PressTV - West losing colonization leverage in Africa
Interview with George Shire
Press TV has conducted an interview with George Shire, a political analyst, in London, about Zimbabwe and EU negotiations that could see the EU contribute 200 million Euros to Zimbabwe’s development budget.
The following is an approximate transcript of the interview.
Press TV: Why is the EU seeking to reestablish trade links with Zimbabwe? Isn’t the answer obvious – economic expediency?
Shire: There are three things that I can think about: the first one is the kind of geo-political shifts not just in Zimbabwe, but in the region. I would say internationally. And in a way the West has failed to mobilize support for its Zimbabwe position – whether or not you agree, they have failed, they lost the argument.
The second thing is, there is a mood on the continent, which is what I would call de-Westernization. It is not the same as anti-Western, it means we no long necessarily take the line of thinking from the West alone, we can think from all sorts of places.
At the same time there is what I would call a de-colonial impulse, which means we want to decolonize our economic systems. There is a mood on the continent, which is like that.
And what that does, it means it undermines what would have been the major Western way of doing business. It’s losing out geo-politically in that sense.
So, the leverage that the west used to have on Zimbabwe, it no longer has. It has failed the argument.
The other Argument to make is that Robert Mugabe is going to assume or is about to assume the leadership of both SADC (Southern African Development Community) and the African Union. He represents whether you like it or not a sort of hard-line position in as much as relationships with the West are concerned.
And so having him onside is obviously strategically important to the West. So if you look at that way there is nowhere else for the west to go other than to find accommodation.
Press TV: Rather than Mugabe suffering it has been Europe itself that has been suffering. Isn’t that a major factor?
Shire: Europe is in serious trouble economically, I mean, the numbers of people… Portugal is borrowing money of Angola. Europe is in trouble economically and part of the reason in wanting to change course is trying to look for markets in order to rectify its economic decline. That’s the problem for Europe. Its interests are expanded as long as its economic base is secure.
They couldn’t give a damn about whether Zimbabweans are beating each other up. They are only interested in whether they can make money out of it. And given the competition they have with China they are going to have to change their gear. So, that’s what I meant by they no longer have a leverage in which they can maintain or change of government or whatever that might be.
Press TV: Indigenization is a key issue and was quite a strong positive for Zanu PF in the last elections because everybody wants to be economically in power do they not?
Shire: Economics is not some sort of separate discipline that is not connected to sociality, you know… how people live their lives; how they care for one another; how their sense of being...
In the heart of Zanu PF politics is the question of indigenization and the indigenization forms the basis in which you’d think out the economy. It’s not whether paragraph two or paragraph three needs to be reviewed and so on; but substantively that’s what it means.
The problem for the MDC (Movement for Political Change Party) – whether I like them or not is another matter – the problem for the MDC in as far as Zimbabwean people are concerned they are not seen as supportive of the principle of indigenization itself.
So, what that does is it plays in politically and ideologically into how people choose A or B. That’s one thing.
The second thing is you have to have an explanation why a number of people prior to July 30 last year we’re predicting that Zanu PF was going to win and those constituencies are not of Zanu PF people, these are people not aligned to anybody, independent analysts and so on… I talked about this on this problem and a number of others precisely about those kinds of predictions.
And so the popular mood in the country is about the question of indigenization, It’s not new…it explains why Robert Mugabe is popular throughout the whole region.
Press TV: What is life like for ordinary Zimbabweans because you are Zimbabwean?
Shire: If you want to ask Zimbabweans what life is like for them in Zimbabwe, ask Zimbabweans in Zimbabwe.
I want to get back to the substantive questions that have been raised here. We really need to get away from this myth that describes Zimbabwe as a ghost town and because Zimbabwe is described as a ghost town it frightens people off.
The industrialization in the region, the infrastructure in the region is old. Zimbabwe’s capacity to raise balance of payment… it doesn’t have balance of payments support from anyone… it cannot raise moneys from international finance to improve its infrastructure, which is old, dilapidated.
Press TV: Isn’t that where China is coming in?
Shire: That is where it’s coming in.
Secondly, it’s decided if it controls its own assets it will be able in the long term to redirect it to the infrastructure. Some of these guys want to wait for the moment when it’s good and then come in instead of going and saying right let’s work towards making it work. And that’s the difference; and that’s a solution.
PressTV - West losing colonization leverage in Africa
