Can the Rest of the World Save Zimbabwe?

Making News

Bush Signs $162 Billion War Spending Bill ()

President Bush today had rare praise for the Democratic-controlled Congress as he signed a $162 billion plan to continue operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The President congratulated both parties for putting politics aside in an election year to "stand behind our troops and their families." David Mark is senior editor at Politico.com and author of Going Dirty: the Art of Negative Campaigning.

Guests:

• David Mark: Senior Editor, Politico.com, @DMarkPOLITICO

Main Topic

How Will the World Respond to Mugabe's Re-Election? ()

Zimbabwe, which used to be called "the breadbasket of Africa," is now an economic basket case, with half the people depending on food aid and inflation pegged at nine million percent.  After weeks of bloody political violence and political opposition, the UN Security Council will debate Robert Mugabe's re-election, despite his already having been sworn in. Mugabe is now in Egypt for a summit of the African Union, which may, or may not, play a crucial role in restoring stability to his devastated country. Is there any chance for political reconciliation? Will the opposition try to set up a government in exile? Can international intervention avert an extended bloodbath?

Guests:

• Alex Perry: Africa Bureau Chief, Time Magazine
• Grace Kwinjeh: Activist, Movement for Democratic Change
• Peter Godwin: author, 'When a Crocodile Eats the Sun'
• Patrick Bond: Director of the Centre for Civil Society, University of KwaZulu-Natal
• Nicole Lee: Executive Director, TransAfrica Forum

Links:

• UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Zimbabwe elections
• Bill to remove Mandela, African National Congressional from terrorism list
• Mugabe's (1987 Foreign Affairs) article on the struggle for South Africa
• Perry's article on the lesson of Zimbabwe's 'election'
• Godwin's 'When a Crocodile Eats the Sun'
• Bond's 'Zimbabwe's Plunge'
• Bond's 'Uneven Zimbabwe'

Reporter's Notebook

Campaign Rhetoric Heats Up ()

Over the weekend, John McCain said Barack Obama's "word cannot be trusted."  Retired General Wesley Clark, supporting Obama, said about McCain, "I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be President." Today Obama went to Independence Missouri, Harry Truman's hometown, to talk about patriotism and sacrifice. Don Frederick, an editor at the Washington Bureau of the Los Angeles Times, blogs at the paper's Top of the Ticket.

Guests:

• Don Frederick: Political Editor, Los Angeles Times