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...South African Policy I found your coverage of the Zimbabwean situation informative but sad [Aug. 3]. The South African government could easily bring Mugabe into line instead of propping him up. Recall how Balthazar Johannes Vorster brought Ian Smith into line and forced a free and fair election. All authorities recognize the last Zimbabwean one wasn't, and yet Mugabe is still in a strong position of authority. Shame on you, South Africa! Peter Graham, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA...
...ability to check Russia's determination to forcefully push what it calls its "privileged interests" in its neighboring countries. The flurry of diplomatic activity came symbolically on the anniversary of last summer's Russia-Georgia war, in which Moscow intervened on behalf of the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. (See pictures of the war in Georgia...
...breakaway Georgian territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia are proving more pliable. With Nicaragua the only country other than Russia to recognize their independence, they are reliant on support from Moscow, which has been happy to oblige. The day after Medvedev's letter was made public, Prime Minister Putin visited Abkhazia, pledging around $500 million in military aid. Georgia reacted angrily, calling the visit "a provocation carried out quite in the tradition of Soviet special services," a reference to Putin's KGB past. (See pictures of Vladimir Putin: Action Figure...
...anniversary of the conflict in South Ossetia also saw Medvedev backing an initiative that would give a legal basis for deploying the Russian military abroad to defend Russian citizens and armed forces from attack - precisely the reason given by Moscow for its intervention last year. This raises concerns about the Kremlin's designs on Ukraine's Crimean peninsula, which has a large ethnic Russian population and is home to the Black Sea Fleet. (Read: "A Year After War, South Ossetia More Dependent on Russia...
...north was not without militant attacks. Raging gun-battles in Baghlan province resulted in the deaths of at least 21 militants and forced polling stations to close. Overall, however, the south fared worse. Just one voting station opened in southern Helmand province, where Taliban calls for a boycott held sway. In Kandahar, a "night letter" campaign ahead of the vote forewarned residents that their fingers would be cut off if they dared to participate. Many still braved the threat, but observers suggested that voter turnout there was perhaps as much as 40% lower than 2004 elections - a potential setback...