The Calm After Zimbabwe's Coup

President Robert Mugabe's 37-year reign appears to be over. Zimbabwe's political and military elites are pressuring the aging leader to step aside following his detention in one of his many residences and the movement of troops through the capital city of Harare. Although Mugabe is currently resisting the immense pressure for him to step down, his presidency as he knows it is certainly over. Mugabe's departure could happen in a number of ways, but most likely, he will soon step aside or be pushed out. In a less likely scenario, he could stay on as a figurehead while the ruling party, the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), looks for a consensus candidate. Regardless of exactly which path is chosen, the only leader Zimbabwe has known since 1980 will eventually leave power. Consequently, it should come as no surprise that the country's leadership has planned for the aging Mugabe's eventual demise....