NORM GERAS ON MUGABE AND SOUTH AFRICA: “You couldn’t ask for a clearer symbol of the double-edged character of nationalism. At one time a powerful force in the fight for liberation from colonial rule and in the long struggle against apartheid, African nationalism has, in the hands of Mbeki and other African leaders rallying round Mugabe, been transmuted into an apologia and defence of the most blatant criminality and oppression. The US ambassador, representing a country widely derided in liberal circles for its role in international affairs, bears witness to the crimes of the Mugabe regime; the man standing at the head of a nation that won the world’s admiration for getting rid of an odious racist system disgraces that legacy.”

UPDATE: More thoughts from John Weidner.