SANCTIONS - Death Sentences for the Dying!

This is something that I've felt very strongly about. Today President OBAMA renewed sanctions on the people of Zimbabwe. And he has just, I fear, not listened to his conscience here. What gives him and the rest of the West an impression that Sanctions are a tool to use against oppressive regimes? Its Paradoxical - These rulers are oppressive. The Sanctions are supposed to make them conscious of their peoples suffering - yet the people suffer as they, the leaders, are and have always been in-conscious of any one elses suffering. The people now suffer more while Mr and Mrs Robert Mugabe continue to live their luxurious extravagant lives with or without sanctions. The poor Zimbabwean people, for whom luxury means living a Cholera free hungry life or have atleast water to drink with a loaf of bread to eat - now find it more difficult to meet these 'luxuries' under sanctions. Anti-Malarials and Cholear vaccines are meant only for the super rich and the politically well connected.

What Sanctions does is to give the Governemnt of Zimbabwe an excuse to continue their oppression and blame the West for it.

The West needs to place travel restrictions on Robert Mugabe and his close family - Put pressure on the Chinese to prevent him from travelling and living 5-star lives in Hong Kong. Ensure that his personal jet is not allowed in any other airspace. Yet they must make trade free with the Zimbabwean people to provide the poor with basic food and medication. I blame the West for the Cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe. I blame Bush and unfortunatley now our African hero, Obama, too.

Similarly wiith Cuba - Castro is a dying man. One must give the devil his due for holding out non violently against a Superpower - right at their doorstep - for several decades against all odds. Sanctions in Cuba have not made Castro weaker - they have made him a cult hero - to moderates like me too. Obama should, in my opinion, give the Cuban people a hug - and we will see an immediate response. One needs to see the suffering brought upon by Sanctions. Black marketeers thrive. The Politically powerful have no problems. Poverty becomes stronger. The Dying suffer and the Dead are the only ones relieved of their suffering.