As I was reading “Dinner with Mugabe,” a book by Heidi Holland, rated as one of the “most intimate portrait yet produced of Zimbabwe’s clever but brutal leader”, Heidi Holland “gets under the skin of a troubled man who turned from nationalist hero to international pariah, all but destroying his country in the process”.

The once “bread basket of Africa,” rendered cripple by complete economic collapse, cholera outbreak, fueled by collapse of health, sanitation and water services, single handedly by a man, who at the throes of a worst humanitarian crises calls US Bush administration initiated power - sharing deal proposition as the “last kicks of a dying horse”.

Inconceivable as it may seem to be, the rants of “only God will remove me” from ruling Zimbabwe, were once of a feeble, shy and pious child brought up by a doting Catholic mother, abandoned by his father, having “no friends”, constantly craving acceptance by peers. This rather complicated desire to be accepted, coupled by a deep sense of insecurity of a not-so-ideal childhood, led to a contradictory relationship with the West.

On one hand his immaculate English suits, impeccable control of the English language and scholarly pursuits have not prevented his resentment against the British and most European countries as deliberate attempts to humiliate him, thus justifying the war veterans to seize the land of the white farmers.

A withdrawn nature, an innate desire to be accepted by peers, and a pious mother’s belief that little Mugabe was chosen by God to lead his people, led to a convoluted mental make up of a dictator who relishes the lavish parties as the stomach-churning stench of death has become a reality for his countrymen.

Talking about the ways of the mind, and how it may be controlled, a common pattern runs through the minds of these monstrous dictators, be it Hitler or Mugabe, or religious fundamentalist groups. Most of them have rare skills as orators to be able to arouse in their supporters emotions of anger and hate to commit acts of violence.

The first target is inevitably young, lonely, impressionable kids, since at that age they are less likely to question the validity of their leader’s claims of authority. Hence propaganda programs(replete with standing ovation, hero worship, loud deafening music), channelized and selective information, frequent participation in rallies form tools as part of a larger political, military or religious scheme to gain control.

It was said when Hitler took the stage, he would first start haltingly, then would start to rock from side to side and begin to gesticulate with his hands. His voice would get louder and become more passionate. Sweat poured of him, his face turned white, his eyes bulged and his voice cracked with emotion. He ranted and raved about the injustices done to Germany and played on his audience’s emotions of hatred and envy. By the end of the speech the audience would be in a state of near hysteria and were willing to do whatever Hitler suggested.

Today, war-torn Darfur has 6000 child soldiers linked to rebel factions, government backed militia or fighting alongside the Sudanese army. The organization Save the Children estimates that 200,000 children are at work in diamond, gold, copper, silver and cobalt mines across Africa’s Sahel region, which includes Senegal, Burkina Faso and Niger.

Democratic Republic of Congo has about 40,000 child miners. Be it the gruesome Rwandan massacre, or the depraved demonic world of radical Lashkar-e-Toiba, responsible for the repugnant Mumbai massacre, the impressionable youth has been a pawn in the hands of malicious malevolence of few power hungry men, who have skillfully persuaded the human mind into inexplicable acts of sadistic carnage.

Imagine there’s no countries, it isn’t hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too. Imagine all the people, living life in peace...

And now imagine a world where nearly 700,000 children, had been born and grown up knowing nothing but war…