Abstract
This article paints a sociopolitical portrait of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA). Institutional trends and the consequences are analyzed by examining the army's behavior and the discourse within the military. Rising corruption, the proliferation of patron-client relationships, the use of the military as a stepping stone to business and politics, and an increasingly "civilian" military justice system are all found to be symptomatic of the ZNA's increasingly occupational character. These trends are a result of both the economic environment of Zimbabwe and the ZNA's combat operations in Mozambique. The consequences of these trends, however, are mixed. While morale and preparedness have tended to suffer, overall performance has not been particularly negatively affected.
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