Easing Mugabe out

THE POWER-SHARING deal under which Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has agreed to let opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai become prime minister is hardly ideal. Not only does Mugabe remain president under the formula announced Monday, but he also retains sole authority over the army, which he used as recently as this past June to go about the countryside, breaking the bones of Tsvangirai's supporters.

By such thuggish methods, Mugabe forced Tsvangirai to withdraw from a runoff presidential election. The aim then was to preserve Mugabe's monopoly on political power. And the corrupt purpose of that monopoly was to allow his circle of cronies, particularly in the upper echelons of the military, to continue skimming every last penny of wealth from an impoverished population. If Mugabe still calls the shots for the army, he may at any time revert to past practice and seize untrammeled power by force.

Nevertheless, something rare has happened in Zimbabwe. A dictator has been obliged to give up absolute power by virtue of a peaceful civic campaign conducted according to a democratic rule book. Moreover, Zimbabwe's democratic movement benefited from foreign backing that was untainted by military threats.

Western economic sanctions had a key role in persuading Mugabe to yield to the will of his people. Having ruined an economy that should be one of the most prosperous in Africa, Mugabe and his robber band would have nothing left to steal if they did not renew foreign aid and investment by sharing power with Tsvangirai's party.

Future economic assistance must be conditioned on Tsvangirai's unhampered control of the new government's economic ministries and Zimbabwe's economic policies.