@article{MAKHILLPJSS2012947624, title = {An Analysis of the Challenges to the Regime Change Agenda in Zimbabwe 2000-2010}, journal = {Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences}, volume = {9}, number = {4}, pages = {195-203}, year = {2012}, issn = {1683-8831}, doi = {pjssci.2012.195.203}, url = {https://makhillpublications.co/view-article.php?issn=1683-8831&doi=pjssci.2012.195.203}, author = {Douglas}, keywords = {ZANU PF,regime change,regime change agenda,Robert Mugabe,repression,political dexterity}, abstract = {The regime change agenda has dominated political discourse on Zimbabwe for more than a decade. The ruling party (ZANU PF) has since 2000 been intensely engaged in a fight to ward off regime change machinations by neo-liberal Western forces and domestic opposition groups seeking a transition from authoritarian rule to democratic governance. The study unearths several futile strategies and schemes that were hatched to remove Robert Mugabe and the ZANU PF regime from power. This study shows how the ZANU PF regime did not make sole use of authoritarian means to thwart the regime change agenda as has been argued by the West but equally relied on a mixture of repression, popularity and political dexterity to repel incessant regime change plots and remain hegemonic on Zimbabwe’s political landscape. Strategies employed to ensure regime persistence include asset re-distribution, anti-imperialist rhetoric, media control and the teaching of nationalist patriotic history amongst others. These tactics presented massive challenges to regime change agents. The discourse grapples with these challenges to the regime change agenda in Zimbabwe. The stydy is premised on Gramsci’s work to analyse the challenges to the regime change agenda. His theory aptly examines the struggles for hegemony and legitimacy, elements considered crucial to the survival of any political regime.} }