A critical look at the revocation of US sanctions on Zimbabwe while maintaining ZDERA- By Jonathan Moyo

Implications of Biden’s Executive Order 14118

Among other considerations, Biden’s historic Executive Order 14118 has the following implications, some if not all of them with far reaching consequences:

1. Biden’s revocation of George W. Bush’s Executive Orders 13288 of 6 March 2003, 13391 of 23 November 2005 and 13469 of 25 July 2008 on grounds that the ‘national emergency’ claimed in these orders no longer exist or is no longer needed, is tantamount to a spectacular expression of catastrophic failure; given the untold suffering of Zimbabweans and the systematic and structural damage to Zimbabwe’s economy caused by the implementation of the orders by the US, as it sought regime change in the country in vain, over 21 years of the orders; and 23 years of the so-called Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act [Zdera] enacted on 21 December, 2001; upon which the failed orders were based, as the enabling Act.

While the US failed to achieve its regime-change objective over 23 years since Zdera and 21 years since the declaration of the national emergency, it unfortunately and destructively succeeded not only to entrench political polarisation and divisions among Zimbabweans; but also to sabotage, undermine and derail national economic development in Zimbabwe, with the consequence of crippling the country’s economy.

2. Given that Biden’s 4 March 2024 Executive Order clearly states that it is terminating orders – not relating to the economic sanctions that were said to be targeted at individuals, but orders – that were about an alleged ‘situation of a national emergency’ in Zimbabwe that allegedly threatened US security interests for 21 years; it stands to reason that this then exposes the mendacity that the US sanctions only targeted individuals, and not Zimbabwe itself or the country’s general population.

It is clear from Biden’s 4 March 2024 Executive Order that the sanctions imposed under the revoked orders were not about individuals, but were about the “situation in Zimbabwe”, which situation supposedly created a national emergency that required an extended emergency response from or by the US for some 21 years.

3. The revocation of the orders in question exposes the blatant lie told by US diplomats and often repeated and thoughtlessly peddled by their local running dogs, that Zdera not only has nothing to do with economic sanctions, but also that Zdera has never been implemented since it was enacted in 2001 when, in fact Zdera is the enabling or mother Act under which the revoked Executive Orders were made.

In a 4 March 2024 statement by the US National Security Council Spokesperson, Adrienne Watson who, while noting the Executive Orders revoked by Biden, said that the United States would go foreword by employing a new set of tools in Zimbabwe, including the flagship Global Magnitsky sanctions program, to punish “the egregious behaviour of some of the most powerful people and companies in Zimbabwe”.

Tellingly, the US National Security Council Statement concluded by declaring that, “The Administration reaffirms its commitment to work with the people of Zimbabwe; will continue to robustly support civil society, human rights defenders, and independent media to promote values consistent with the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001”.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/03/04/statement-by-national-security-council-spokesperson-adrienne-watson-on-u-s-sanctions-on-zimbabwean-individuals-and-entities/?s=03

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