Zimbabwe’s failing re-engagement and continuity with the look east policy: an Afrocentric perspective

Abstract

Zimbabwe-China relations particularly the Asian giant’s trade with the Southern African country in the context of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the Look East Policy has elicited considerable scholarly debate and critics. Mnangagwa’s ascendency to Zimbabwe’s Presidency ushered in a re-engagement policy with the Euro-American developed countries which had strained relations with Mugabe’s administration. The said re-engagement effort has however been undermined by a lack of political reforms tied to Western development assistance, trade and investment. As such, the unchanging political atmosphere inhibits Zimbabwe’s effort at re-engaging with the West and has further triggered the renewal of the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act by the United States of America in 2018. While these developments drive Zimbabwe back to the Look East Policy, the continuity of the Look East Policy in the post-Mugabe era has received little attention from scholarly literature. Leaning on Afrocentricity, the article adopted a desktop qualitative approach and employed document analysis. It concludes that Mnangagwa-led Zimbabwe is silently pursuing the Look East Policy as her re-engagement with the West is dashed out by the unchanging political atmosphere at home. Because of his pronouncement to break away from the previous regime of Mugabe and the public resentment over the Chinese and the lack of reforms which could be attributed to the nationalist military backing of his government, Mnangagwa is silently pursuing the Look East Policy. The Look East Policy becomes a suitable option, while the re-engagement with the West remains a mere slogan which is accompanied by no action to meet the requirements set by the West.