Mugabe Destroying Zimbabwe

The latest outrage from Zimbabwe is the beating of an opposition leader:

Tsvangirai, head of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), had been treated for what his party said was a suspected skull fracture since Tuesday, two days after he and scores of supporters were arrested in an anti-Mugabe protest.

Mugabe has been gradually destroying the county ever since the country gained independence from the British. His government is authoritarian, violent, and routinely violates the rights of its citizens. Mugabe has overseen genocide operations ("ethnic cleansing"), wholesale robbery ("land reform"), election tampering, hyperinflation, and forceful suppression of dissent. At least.

Under his guidance the country has gone from a major food exporter to one dependent on international aid and where chronic shortages are the norm.

Mugabe, who frequently blames Zimbabwe's economic problems on sabotage by Britain and the United States, told his Western critics on Thursday that they could "go hang."

That's an interesting suggestion.

Images of a badly bruised and limping Tsvangirai entering the hospital earlier this week fueled international outrage and threats by the United States and other nations to tighten sanctions against Mugabe and other senior Zimbabwean officials.

Oooo... we've threatened to tighten sanctions! No, I think I prefer Mugabe's idea. I think it's long past time for an assassination. I don't even care who does it! Even if the country gets another strong-man dictator afterward, I doubt he could be worse than Mugabe.

I'm increasingly a skeptic of sanctions. Does anyone have some historical examples of when sanctions have worked well? What factors are predictive of the efficacy of sanctions?