Mugabe an impossible nut for US to crack

President Robert Mugabe has been a tough nut for the United States to crack.

This was the message of Herald columnist Nathaniel Manheru’s message to outgoing United States assistance secretary of State for African Affairs Walter Kansteiner when he left office before achieving regime change.

Manheru is widely believed to be Information Minister Jonathan Moyo.

Writing in the Herald, Manheru said: “Like his predecessor Chester Crooker, he bows out with the limp of a defeated man whose instigatory advice on Zimbabwe has yielded a hefty policy failure for the Bush administration.

“After all, while George may get sticks in the Bush, he certainly has no carrots. And even if he had them, he would soon discover that the world does not live on carrots alone. Let him ask his buffeted men in Iraq.”

Full cable:

Viewing cable 03HARARE2196, MEDIA REPORT KANSTEINER UNDER FIRE; HARARE

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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

050827Z Nov 03

UNCLAS HARARE 002196

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/PDPA FOR DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS

IRAQ PD FOR SMITH, PINESS AND ROOKARD

AF FOR RAYNOR

NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER

LONDON FOR GURNEY

PARIS FOR NEARY

NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: PREL KMDR ZI

SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT KANSTEINER UNDER FIRE; HARARE

¶1.   Under headline “Kansteiner: from C-130 to Carrots” the

government-controlled daily “The Herald” (11/02),

circulation 55 to 70,000, carried the following op-ed by

Nathaniel Manheru, a. k. a. Jonathan Moyo (Information

Minister), under his regular column “The Other Side” in

which he brags about Robert Mugabe’s make-believe

invincibility against the United States, before taking a

jab at the outgoing Assistant Secretary of State for

African Affairs, Walter Kansteiner, saying ” he bows out

with the limp of a defeated man whose instigatory advice on

Zimbabwe has yielded a hefty policy failure for the Bush

administration.” Excerpts:

¶2.   “Talking about the Americans, Assistant Secretary of

State for African Affairs, Walter Kansteiner has

called it quits, but not before conceding in his

valedictory interview that President Mugabe has been

an impossible nut for America to crack. Far from

coming across as a bellicose proponent of `regime

change’ and `challenge to Zimbabwe’s sovereignty,’

the man whimpers about using `a combination of

carrots and sticks,’ not even on the President and

his government, but `on all players.’ Admitting

that the opposition which he euphemistically terms

`the civil society’ is `hanging on by a thread,’

Kansteiner comes across much softer, as almost

unaware of America’s weapons of shock and awe, C-130

included, which he once threatened America would

deploy to challenge Zimbabwe’s sovereignty. Like

his predecessor Chester Crooker, he bows out with

the limp of a defeated man whose instigatory advice

on Zimbabwe has yielded a hefty policy failure for

the Bush administration. After all, while George

may get sticks in the Bush, he certainly has no

carrots. And even if he had them, he would soon

discover that the world does not live on carrots

alone. Let him ask his buffeted men in Iraq.

Meanwhile I say, to Kansteiner: kwaheri the mourned

one. As you tread softly into complete oblivion,

Studio 7 whispers its own epitaph and together you

shall be where America buries its defeated cold

warriors.”

SULLIVAN

(29 VIEWS)