The Zimbabwean President has presided over the economic and social collapse of one of Africa’s most prosperous nations
Iron-Fisted Ruler
Mugabe first rose to power as the leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) a guerrilla movement against white-minority rule in Rhodesia, the former British colony now known as Zimbabwe.JP Laffont / Sygma / Corbis
Last Harvest
Brendan Fox, a white landholder, watches as his personal goods are loaded onto a truck and removed from his farm.Gideon Mendel / Corbis
Empty Shelves
During the last ten years, Zimbabwe's agricultural production has plummeted. Once the "bread basket" of Africa, it now depends on food programs and support from outside to feed itself.Bishop Asare / EPA / Corbis
Forced Relocation
In 2005, Mugabe's government launched a campaign to systematically destroy shanty towns that had grown up around major cities. Because the urban poor who inhabited these settlements were overwhelmingly pro-opposition, Mugabe's campaign of forced removals, that displaced more than 2 million people, was widely viewed as politically motivated.AFP / Getty
Ace of Diamonds
A photograph taken in South Africa in 2007 shows a set of playing cards that poke fun at the Zimbabwean leader. Despite the world's highest inflation rate, Mugabe himself continues to live in extraordinary wealth.Alexander Joe / AFP / Getty
Crackdown
Mugabe has proved himself intolerant of political opposition. In this photo, riot police clear the streets of Harare during a strike led to protest his government's policies in 2003.AFP / Getty
Offices of the Opposition
The chief challenger to Mugabe's hold on power is Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change. In March 2007 Tsvangirai was arrested and his offices ransacked shortly before a party press conference.Alexander Joe / AFP / Getty
Torn Legacy
An election poster hangs from a wall in Bulawayo in late March. Mugabe has retained his hold on power by consistently manipulating election results.John Moore / Getty
Under Threat
Though he is clearly isolated and unpopular, it is far from certain that Mugabe will relinquish power should his rival Tsvangirai prevail in the 2008 election.Inacio Rosa / EPA / Corbis
Nationalist Leader
In 1975, Mugabe was freed from prison, having served ten years for "subversive speech," and outmaneuvering a rival for control of ZANU. The movement waged a guerrilla insurgency against the white regime of Rhodesia from bases in neighboring Zambia and Mozambique. In this 1977 photo, Mugabe attends a summit of the "Front Line" African states, a regional grouping dedicated to achieving black majority rule throughout Southern Africa.AP
Uneasy Ally
During the liberation struggle, Mugabe's ZANU was rivaled by the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), led by Joshua Nkomo. When the British brokered an end to the civil war by sponsoring parliamentary elections in 1980, the two parties campaigned jointly as the Patriotic Front, although ZANU trounced ZAPU in the vote count, making Mugabe prime minister.JP Laffont / Sygma / Corbis
U.S. Support
Mugabe's democratic triumph in Zimbabwe was welcomed by the U.S. and Britain. After he became prime minister in 1980, Mugabe visited President Jimmy Carter in the White House.Jack Kightlinger / Corbis
The World Stage
By the mid-1980s, Mugabe has become one of Africa's most visible leaders. In this photo, he attends a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London in 1986.Sahm Doherty / Time Life Pictures / Getty
Strong Man
Even as his economy was struggling in the late 1990s, Mugabe sent 12,000 troops to support Congo's president Laurent Kabila in a fight with rebels backed by Uganda and Rwanda.AFP / Getty
Honored
In 1994, Queen Elizabeth II bestowed an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on Mugabe, the equivalency of knighthood for foreigners. Although a British parliamentary foreign affairs committee has called for the title to be revoked, no action has been taken.Anwar Hussein / Getty
Powerful
Mugabe gained additional powers for himself by abolishing the title of Prime Minister and assuming the role of Executive President. He was re-elected in 1990, 1996 and 2002 amid claims of vote-rigging and voter intimidation.Ulutuncok / Laif / Corbis
Land Seizures
Under growing political pressure as a result of economic failures, Mugabe sought to shore up his support by rewriting the constitution to allow his government to confiscate white-owned land for redistribution to black farmers without compensation. In this photo, pro-Mugabe militants sing revolutionary songs outside the electric fence of a white farmer's homestead.Reuters / Corbis
