Cheat Sheet

Banks aren't the only things nearing collapse these days. "They believe the situation is very bad. They believe things could collapse in a few months time in Zimbabwe,” said Jacob Zuma, the leader of South Africa’s ruling party, after a meeting with Kofi Annan, Jimmy Carter, and Graca Machel, who were prohibited from entering the country last weekend. A cholera outbreak that has so far killed 300 people has added to Zimbabwe’s stresses, which include food shortages and hyperinflation. The government has been in deadlock since September, when dictator Robert Mugabe agreed to a power-sharing agreement with his rival Morgan Tsvangirai. The two have been unable to agree on cabinet appointments, and Mugabe’s plan to push a constitutional amendment that will allow him to name the cabinet alone threatens to ruin the deal.