Ethiopia has two major plans to achieve in the coming months: elections and the second filling of the Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD). However, the nation is carrying out these two major activities without the consent of anyone. Some countries who do not wish good for the country are not happy about it. The United States and some Western countries are trying to pressurize Ethiopia to change its stance. However, the country which has never been colonized, has been resisting the influence via its unity more than ever. Here is an excerpt from our recent interview with Ambassador Tiruneh Zena, former Commissioner for Human Rights, who has been representing Ethiopia in New York for nine years. Have a good read.
How do you see Western Diplomacy Strategy for Africa? Is it biased or fair?
Western countries, including the United States, have implemented a well-researched and well-recognized policy and strategy for Africa for a shorter period of time. If you notice, Westerners, especially Americans, are more concerned about the foreign affairs of Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and so on when they are assembled. They probably bring the issue of Africans around in the end. This is especially true for Americans.
When we go west, it is good to see a little bit differently. Europe is closer to us. The damage to Africa will have a direct impact on Europe. Human trafficking from Africa to Europe is a good example in this regard. This creates a social and political crisis in these countries. That is why; Europeans take a closer look at Africans. However, The United States is peculiar in this regard. There is a little bit of competition between the United States, China and similar countries concerning the issue of Africa. It is not equivalent with that of the Cold War, they rather tried to attract the interest.
The Chinese are largely attracting Africans financially, commercially and economically. Others are now more active in Africa than ever before. However, they do not seem to be investing or financing in Africa. They are using their soft power; human resources, media, and international organizations, to get about-face of Africans. They are armed well and stood to do so. The competition between China and the United States is international and it is a little bit stronger when we come to Africa as China has pushed it hard, both in terms of investment and otherwise. As a result, they do not want to be caught unawares.
Where is global diplomacy going?
We are currently in transition. I wrote an article ten years ago entitled: The World at the Crossroads. I repeat that idea today. After World War II, there were two world powers. These are Russia and the United States. They also had nuclear power. The world countries were classified in to two. Some belonged to Western and others chose the line of Eastern countries.
Later, when the Soviet Union collapsed, only one power emerged in the world since the 1990s. This force is still claiming to be one. When the rest of the Soviet Union fell, Russia could not fall once and for all. China, on the other hand, has become increasingly aggressive in military, economy, technology not only in Africa but also in the world in a way threatening the United States. So, the current world situation is a multi-polar one in which many powers are emerging.
The president of the United States has made it clear that China will not be a world leader stepping on the United States. China on her part said she never wants to compete with others as she is ready to grow with the world economically, in trade, in investment.
China claims that no force can stop her. Literally, I do my own job and you do your own. In addition, other powers are also emerging. For example, Russia is coming again. Other powers such as Turkey, Iran, and others are also emerging. In this process, there is no such thing as a self-proclaimed leader or a known leader. There is no force in the universe that can control the world; even the United States. Even some countries are turning their back on the United States.
In today’s world it is the economy that can govern the world instead of military capacity. For example, since World War II, most Europeans have been crushed. Africa was still in its infancy. It was trying to gain freedom. In Asia, too, China and India were still struggling to gain their independence. Since World War II, the United States has controlled 60 percent of the world’s economy. In short, 60 per cent of the world’s GDP was American. The rest of the world had a combined total of only 40 percent.
The situations at that time make the muscle for America stronger and interfere in the internal issues of other countries. As the world economy grew; the share of the US was declining. After World War II, the US economy, which had grown by 60 percent, dropped to about 40 percent in the 1980’s. It is now said to be 20 to 30 percent.
This shows that other countries are becoming stronger economically and are deviating from US control. As a result, American power is declining. So, at present, there is no such thing as a one or two world power. So, there are many in every district, others are leaving. If we look at China, it is pushing shoulder to shoulder with the United States. By and large, it is possible to conclude that the world is in turmoil.
There are those who say that diplomacy is a commodity. Didn’t the Western lobby team make diplomacy a commodity?
Diplomacy has always been a commodity. Former Gabonese President Omar Bongo was a corrupt leader. He died in the hands of his son. The leader gave 20 million USD to lobbyists to meet with former US President George W. Bush. President Bongo did so not only to get Bush, but also the red carpet and food preparation ceremony differ one another. It is being called primary, secondary and tertiary, and our leaders including Emperor Haile Selassie, did not get such a chance. It welcomes people from Africa at a low-key level. So, Bongo paid $ 20 million for the first welcoming ceremony.
Of course, such an approach is sometimes helpful; Israel is moving the United States in this way because of its strong lobbyists. Everything seems to be a sacred work, but when you look at it from a distance, it is full of horrors and filth.
Third world countries are paying the price of human rights brokers; how can this be viewed from a diplomatic point of view? The West themselves are becoming the heroes of conflict in the name of human rights?
This is one of their tactics. One of the ropes that Westerners use to pull the necks of third world countries is their movement in the name of human rights. The origins of human rights and the way they are being handled are different. Hitler had massacred six million Jews during World War II and that we should legislate to prevent this from happening again. When it comes to legislation, it deals with political, economic and social issues. In the Western world, the economy is in the hands of the individuals claiming that this was not the case and the main thing was politics.
They coordinated international NGOs and the media. Accordingly, they exalt what they want. As a result, for example, no one listens to what the Ethiopian media is saying, but the BBC or CNN. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, employs no less than the US government in terms of payment. So these rich people are protected not only by their government but also by the system. They spend their money to protect the system.
They discriminate against some countries in the name of human rights. For example, they do not do as much as they do in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is still a country where people have their hands cut off. Punishments similar to those of the 16th century are still practiced today. However, they do not listen when people condemn this kind of punishment because it is their friend. And this has become a tool of human rights. It has become a very important and useful tool. NGOs come in and scatter in Saudi Arabia with large sum of money. It’s called an NGO and they set up what they want. When he came to Africa, he was a poor man, so he hired them. Gradually, they brought him into the political arena. Then, they will be treated as children.
What is the fate of third world countries? When do they decide for them-selves?
I believe that the time is not far for third world countries to decide their fate on their own. Indeed, not everyone will have time. The economy needs to be built first. If the economy collapses, no political activity can escape them. By the way, I am not a follower of any politics; but I do not hate the EPRDF. Former Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has said he wants to put the economy first. So, the first is to grow the economy, and the second is to eradicate corruption. A corrupt government cannot be free under any circumstances. Because he was a thief, he was afraid that the dirt on him would be exposed. And third, it must be a government that the people can trust. If these three things go together, you can be free from the influence of any country.
What are the sources of the current international pressure on Ethiopia?
Some of the pressures come due to geopolitics. I don’t think the pressure we are facing now is not only due to the TPLF. I think most of them were created by the Egyptians. Egypt has great potential for execution. What is undeniable among Ethiopians is that there is courage. We also have patriotism. If we had been in this situation, it would not have been possible if another African country had been in our place.
The West wants to conquer Egypt. So they want to throw us into Egypt like a sacrificial cow and get something out of Egypt instead. That is what President Trump did. The United States has shifted its focus from the Middle East to Asia. Egypt forgot about the Middle East. But whether it was fortunate or not, there was a conflict between Israel and Palestine. This brought the United States back from Asia to the Middle East. This led her to search for Egypt.
Egypt is the only country in the Middle East that can mediate between Israel and Palestine as the people of Israel could go in and out of the land, either through Israel or Egypt. So Egypt has power over Gaza. Second, Egypt is allied with Israel. She has had a winter friendship since ancient times. They are also countries that exchange information for security reasons. So when this war broke out, President Biden jumped to Egypt, saying that it was Egypt that could help end the war. One of the issues discussed in this process is our Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. If you stop this, they will do it on the principle that I will do it.
In the end, Ethiopia has been paying a high price due to the TPLF. I think it is unfortunate that the TPLF people are doing this as they are equivalent to my age. The situation was turbulent. Even Sudan, which has always said that it would not be able to separate itself from the rest of Ethiopia, has slipped behind Egypt.
Ethiopia and Sudan have long had border problems. They rarely looked into the matter. She is pretending to have a problem today, and it will not go away. We are not left to fend for ourselves. As Ethiopia is not a country founded yesterday it is a country with a long history, a people who love their country, a military that has experience in fighting, and a government that is now not a thief.
The world’s biggest governments do not want a strong government in Africa. So how do you build a strong government in Africa?
The fact that many countries do not want a strong government in Africa is a little better now than it was in the past. In the past, it was common for one side to support the other. In doing so, they kept the country from growing. This was around the Cold War, but not so much now. Even the fact that the United States is the only major power in the world is changing.
It can be a great government if countries today study their policies carefully, gather friends, grow their economies and achieve their dreams, and promote unity and love in their countries. And they are, for example, people like Egypt are growing bigger than our continent. Their influence is growing both economically and militarily. Therefore, I think it is possible; but struggle is needed. Of course, Chinese policy differs from that of the West. They have been saying since the 1970s that we are a developing country and we will grow together.
However, now they have moved from a developing country to a rich country. So I was with you in the past and I will still help you. I will increase your financial capacity; they have a policy of getting rich together. In doing so, they put their own interests ahead of their own. So there is another option for those of us who were only in the hands of the West.
Thus, by using this option, it is possible to grow an economy that is highly productive at home and free from external influences; they are growing. The West used to lose one country to another; and now they are causing a nation to be in conflict with one another. They may try to weaken you. Therefore, we need to work together to close such a gap.
Does the visa ban affect relations between the United States and Ethiopia?
The sanctions are bad. It is unnecessary. They say they have imposed sanctions on the authorities. It is not clear. Of course, it is clear that sanctions have not been imposed on all government officials. So I don’t think that’s going to be bad. I think they will eventually leave it.
I also noticed that the recent statement from the White House after the sanctions was cold. Of course, some words like genocide are a bit strong, but what they are saying is that I think we should use our power to end the situation in Tigray as soon as possible. I don’t think they will persecute us as it is difficult to control the environment without Ethiopia. We need to make them aware of this in a calm and diplomatic manner that Ethiopia has not wavered in its own way.
Will the Impact of Sanctions Affect the Horn of Africa?
One of the things that have shocked them now is who will take over the Horn of Africa if Ethiopia is weak and in turmoil. The second is with whom Ethiopia is in control of the Horn of Africa. Where did he take us? In that sense, I do not think our relationship with Eritrea has a positive view of them. This is my opinion. There are fears that it may take Ethiopia in another direction. Eritrea’s position is known; If Ethiopia tends there, it seems that the situation in the region will not be under their control. As you know, diplomacy is not a problem. The main thing is how and how to handle it; When and what to do. It is useful to take a closer look at who we are with. I believe our government will do this.
Thank you so much for your extensive explanation?
Thank you too.
BY STAFF REPORTER
The Ethiopian Herald June 15/2021
