Pauline H. Baker is associate director of the Congressional Program at the Aspen Institute in Washington, D.C., and has conducted extensive research on South Africa.
Contrary to the widespread perception that Mauritania has moved toward democracy, this troubled country faces continued ethnic tensions and the prospect of increasing repression.
Realizing that power would slip from his grasp if he allowed an honest presidential election in 2002, longtime strongman Robert Mugabe resorted to antidemocratic tactics that set a new low…