When Mugabe Attacks

I find myself having trouble telling when these stories coming out of Zimbabwe are taking place. Today? Yesterday? Last year?

Robert Mugabe, coasting on his history as a revolutionary leader, must surely be running out of steam. Whenever he is faced with criticism from the West (by which I mean, "constantly"), Mugabe trots out the same locals-versus-colonists rhetoric, avoiding the subject of western complaint entirely.

In his latest tirade, Mugabe warns foreign ambassadors that, unless they watch their mouths, they will be expelled, adding that "[Zimbabwe] is not a country which is a piece of Europe".

President Mugabe, all your neighbors find the floor very interesting whenever your name comes up, and none are springing to your defence. If you carry on as you've been carrying on, Zimbabwe will no longer be a piece of Africa, either. If you find yourself all alone, your political rivals may well tire of waiting for you to honor the democratic process, and the very nation that you fought for, all those years ago, will crumble, and someone new will have to rebuild it. Hopefully that someone will respect democracy more than you do.

But enough from me. What do our African (and non-African) readers think about this? What do you do with a democratically-elected leader who just won't step down?

How close do you think Zim is to collapse? What will happen next?

Is collapse avoidable, and, if so, with or without Robert Mugabe?