But according to all reports EmmaB the sanctions weren't against Zimbabwe were they? The sanctions were targeted against and would only affect Robert Mugabe personally and the leaders of ZANU-PF. I shall remember your ringing endorsement of this great and newly elected "Marxist Socialist" Leader - a view not shared by the people of Zimbabwe, but I am sure that you EmmaB know much better.

"Left alone, and I mean without Western sanctions and Western iterference, the situation will sort itself out." - Akenaton

Yes my little heilan' anarchist the situation will no doubt indeed sort itself out, just as it did in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and just as it is in the process of "sorting itself out" in Darfur and in Burma. But remember this Akenaton and all the other fellow travelers, particularly alanabit, take a good look at whose hands are involved and who stands to gain most from this shoddy trail of human suffering - Each and every one with their rock solid "socialist/communist/left-wing" credentials pushed to the fore, all complete and utter cant and hypocrisy of course but that is what it always is, that is what "socialism" always has been - One big massive con. While studying the areas of abject suffering in the world today, take a good look at how often Russia and China crop up in the mix - Then take a damn good look at what their international aid contributions are, then remember that for every 60 people on this planet there is one AK-47 courtesy of those "communist" regimes Akenaton and others so much admire.

When Dianavan, and others on this Forum, go off into their little pet rants about "big bad western oil companies" and all of Bush's supposed "oil-friends" - Lump them all together and they control less than 7% of the global oil industry, all the rest is owned nationally. Now tell me who is it that benefits from maintaining a high price of crude oil per barrel again?

"The whole Western economic system in meltdown" - Really Akenaton? I somehow doubt it, but your dire prediction? Take a good look back through time Akenaton, how many times has that been predicted before? We've had booms before and we've had recessions, everything on this earth cyclical.