The U.S. is reluctant to grant aid or financial concessions while President Robert Mugabe's ruling clique still holds most of the power but the good news is that there are many economic reforms that could have rapid results - unlike aid, which has shackled Africans and fuelled corruption.

Zimbabwe's neighbors have all seen the effect of opening trade in the last decade and Zimbabwe itself was a big exporter only a few years ago. Every simplification of tax and business regulations, every bolstering of contract law and public safety has an almost immediate impact on individuals, families and the economy.

But there's a mountain to climb. Zimbabwe's long-running cholera epidemic is just another symptom of obstinate and savage oppression. Since 1998, the average life...