Revista de Ciências Políticas e Assuntos Públicos
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The United States of America’s Ideals of Liberal Democracy Should Not Be Imposed on Zimbabwe

James Stephen Dhliwayo

Democracy as a concept defies a single definition probably due to the settings and understandings within which it is regarded. It is a highly ambiguous concept. Democracy’s definition is ascribed to the divergent context within which it is conceived and angles from which scholars tend to look at it. The specific form of democracy a country follows is contingent upon the country’s context (state structures, policy practices, culture and history). Zimbabwe’s democracy is built upon her realities that have nothing to do with classical liberal Western democracy founded on the struggle against absolute monarchies. There are many variants of democracy thus there is no need for the USA to impose its version of democracy on other states be it through military intervention as it did in Iraq and Afghanistan. The USA through the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Acts (ZIDERA) imposes sanctions on Zimbabwe unless she fulfills certain conditions, one of which is democracy.