James Kirchick: Mandela posse should take on Mugabe

On Tuesday, former President Jimmy Carter, retired Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, retired U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, former President of Ireland Mary Robinson and Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first democratically elected president, announced the launching of a promising new initiative. Calling itself “The Elders,” the group plans to tackle a host of seemingly intractable global problems. Funding comes from Richard Branson, the billionaire founder of Virgin Atlantic.

This posse of aging statesmen has yet to specify what will be on its agenda. There is certainly no shortage of misery in the world for its to address, but let humble me offer a modest proposal.