Thabo Mbeki on Iraq, Britain, and more...

Mr. Mbeki opened a conference on elections and democracy in Africa by challenging participants to do more than simply recommit to Western principles such as free elections, a multiparty system and independent human rights monitors.

He compared the invasion of Iraq to force-feeding a person on a hunger strike, and said that real democracy was the product of evolution, not something to be imposed.

"The prospect facing the people of Iraq should serve as sufficient warning that in future we, too, might have others descend on us, guns in hand to force-feed us," Mr. Mbeki said. "If the United Nations does not matter," he continued, why should "the little countries of Africa" think that "we matter and will not be punished if we get out of line?"

(...)

Mr. Mbeki, architect of what government officials call a "quiet diplomacy" in Zimbabwe, has avoided public condemnation of Mr. Mugabe. And in his speech today, he lashed out instead at Britain.

"Great Britain does not limit the period during which a person may hold the position of prime minister, to say nothing about the hereditary position of head of state," he said. "It does not have an independent electoral commission that conducts elections. It does not have an independent human rights commission."

He offered what seemed to be a sarcastic comment about Britain, the former colonial power in both South Africa and Zimbabwe, and its pronouncements on the validity of elections in Zimbabwe.

"I have never heard of international observers verifying whether any British election was free and fair," Mr. Mbeki said. "Instead, I have heard of observers visiting the United Kingdom during election time to learn about how democratic elections should be conducted."

To his credit, sarcasm is a little too advanced a verbal concept for some world leaders I could think of. He makes some good points about the UN and Bush/Blair's potential "compassion" for Africa (TFM suddenly thinks about all that AIDS money bush promised, and the invisible-hand-strings that will come attached). I'm not sure, though, what attacking Britain's democratic system accomplishes exactly... I'll think about this more later.