Progress in Zimbabwe?

The NY Times, among others, is reporting that Thabo Mbeki has brokered a “memorandum of understanding” between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai to come up with some sort of power-sharing agreement. It’s a remarkable turnabout after the mayhem that ensued after the March 29 vote gave the opposition a majority in the lower house and Tsvangirai a plurality in the race for President.

Based on the story in the second link above about Mugabe’s coterie, I just don’t see how a meaningful deal can be struck. One might hope that there is a way for them to come together and start rebuilding their nation’s infrastructure and economy, but it’s totally unclear to me how they can move forward on issues such as land reform, justice for the families of murdered dissidents, and bringing down the massive inflation that has crippled the economy.

However, it is a hopeful start, and maybe Mugabe will actually be coerced into looking out for the best interests of his country — in a constructive way.