Ethiopia is a strategic east African state which is always keen to have smooth, planned and rewarding bilateral and trilateral ties with either neighboring or beyond countries. It is always profound to establish diplomatic relations with countries of the globe which are interested in setting up stalemates with it keeping its national interest. It has been working to prevent trends that result in conflict, confrontation and odd moves that spoil normal trajectory of diplomacy.
However, these days even its partners that have accounted for century plus relations like the US have tried to force it to perform activities solely quenching their interest. The unthinkable state of such a dwindling aspect has no room in the case of this great nation—Ethiopia—as its sovereignty, national dignity and pride is equaled by nothing. Hence, it is good for the US to revisit its stance as haphazardly done and impartial moves spoiling the diplomatic relations of the two countries.
Ethiopia has always been substituting wishful thinking for concrete preventative actions whenever it has encountered confrontations with neighboring states. Ethiopian diaspora groups have time and again been with their country and have a significant influence on their countries social, economic and political spheres. For example, diaspora residing in cities like London, Geneva, Manchester, Seattle, Washington, Berlin, Frankfurt etc. rallied to condemn US interventions and meddling in the internal affairs of Ethiopia.
Ethiopians have expressed grievances over the US attempt of meddling and imposing restrictions. Yes, Ethiopia’s diaspora, which are numerous in numbers, have significant political clout within the country.
According to Prof. Alemayehu Gebremariam, a diaspora, national pride is nowadays very much related to development and democracy. Ethiopians are proud of their motherland and the good things done by their forefathers and foremothers—the previous generation. “For instance, during Italian invasion, the Italians were providing people with egg and other pleasant food. However, the people refused to accept their delicious food, but asked them to leave their country.” It is to this extent that Ethiopians do not have gut to resist the violation of their national pride and Ethiopia’s sovereignty.
He said, “Everything is in our hand. What is expected of us all is consolidate our unity and coexistence to pass the ups and downs our country has now been encountering. Surprisingly, the US wants to put a mannequin government whom they can twist in the direction they have preferred. If countries like US would like to set up diplomacy and better relations with Ethiopia, they have to enjoy a win-win approach keeping the interests of either party non-trespassed.”
It is really this time we can say there is a lucrative diplomacy. Ethiopians do not want to lose their national pride for the humiliation of poverty and backwardness and national pride must be the base for the Ethiopian foreign policy.
“The Ethiopian government’s relations with the U.S. and the West in general, for example, have been centered on military and economic cooperation. In addition, Ethiopia maintains diplomatic links with China, Israel, Mexico and India, among others. All these diplomatic ties should be based on a win-win fashion, not a boss subordinate relation.”
Ethiopia is one of the world’s oldest countries and its territorial extent has had a varied form over the millennia of its existence. In ancient times it remained centered on Aksum, an imperial capital located in the northern part of the modern state, about 100 miles from the Red Sea coast. The present territory was consolidated during the 19th and 20th centuries as European powers encroached into Ethiopia’s historical domain. Ethiopia became prominent in modern world affairs first in 1896, when it defeated colonial Italy in the Battle of Adwa.
It has been among the first independent nations to sign the Charter of the United Nations, and it gave moral and material support to the decolonization of Africa and to the growth of Pan-African cooperation. These efforts culminated in the establishment of the Organization of African Unity and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, both of which have their headquarters in Addis Ababa.
“Ethiopia’s location gives it strategic dominance as a jumping off point in the Horn of Africa, close to the Middle East and its markets. It is landlocked bordering Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan, and Sudan, and has been using neighboring Djibouti’s main port for the last two decades. Besides, with the recent peace agreement with Eritrea, Ethiopia is set to resume accessing the Eritrean ports of Assab and Massawa for its international trade” he added.
“Foreign policy is one of the wheels with which the process of international politics operates. Foreign policy is not separate from the national policy; instead it is a part of it. It consists of national interests that are to be furthered in relation to other states. Almost all the states determine the course of their foreign policies within the limits of their strengths and the realities of the external environment,” Prof. Alemayehu said.
There should be new partnerships to be forged on the continent in service of shared interests with a view to maximizing the concerted efforts to support the transformative transitions currently underway on the continent especially in Ethiopia.
“The largest Ethiopian diaspora is in the US, the Middle East, Canada, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands also have large Ethiopian communities. All these are glove hand in glove with the officials of their country to declare its renaissance,” he added.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s ambitious reform plans for transforming Ethiopia to the next level of success. Since taking the helm of government in April 2018, Abiy has been a whirlwind of activity, opening up political space and economic possibilities in his country. But Ethiopia’s complexity, and the way the lessons of its history have been framed, present real challenges to Abiy’s audacious overhaul and his stated goals of bringing more unity to the state, more dynamism and opportunity to its economy, and more justice to its people.
According to scholars and analysts, the premier has come up with avenue portraying the importance of unity to Ethiopian politics. He has talked about a fundamental change from the ethnic federalist model that has dictated how politics has been organized. In practice, this change not only threatens the interests of those who benefited from the old system; it changes the nature of the Ethiopian national project.
Truly, Ethiopia’s security influence in the Horn of Africa puts it on a par with other strategic players such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—even if it cannot match those states in economic terms.
Modern diplomacy is currently experiencing fundamental changes at an unprecedented rate, which affect the very character of diplomacy as well known. These changes also affect aspects of domestic and international politics that were once of no great concern to diplomacy. Technical develop¬ments, mainly digitization, affect how the work of the diplomat is understood; the number of domestic and international actors whose activity implicates diplomacy is increasing.
The way exchange between/among states, as well as the interchange between government and other domestic actors, pro¬gresses is influencing diplomacy’s ability to act legitimately and effectively, diplomats have to reflect general national interest and social as well as economic benefits. Diplomacy can by far be fruitful if the tied parties have developed a win-win aspect.
BY MENGESHA AMARE
The Ethiopian Herald June 2/2021
