USA Africa Dialogue Series - The Folly of US Foreign Policy in Ethiopia

1.  The Oromo Liberation Army, now allies of the

     TPLF,  represents  a  very small faction of 

      the Oromo population.  It is an organization

      that could  be admired by  Isis. Remember 

      them - the Kings of Terror who would chop 

      your head off before you could 

      count  the  fingers on your  right hand - 

      making the Taliban look like kindergarten

      pre - schoolers? Is that   a group you 

      want to do business with, Joe?

      

2.    The people of Ethiopia are fully behind

       the Millennium Dam, and guess what,

       it is the TPLF that created 

       the blueprint for the dam policy!

       Abiy Ahmed is simply following the 

       historic plan to cope with periodic

       drought and generate hydro - electric power

       for the economy. Whoever takes power may

       want to  continue with the plan. Egypt's

       El-Sisi could  still be a loser. The Blue Nile

       remains in the environs of Tisisat Village

       and can't be transferred to Cairo.

3.     The TPLF,  representing  six or seven percent

        of the Ethiopian population, in the ethno-

        federal context, that they created, were not

        favorites with the  population, as a whole.

        How will  hearts  and minds, be won over,  

        the morning after?

        

4.    Do we now add Ethiopia to the long list of 

       fledgling democracies undermined by

       contradictory, convoluted policies of guile 

       and  misinformation? Last minute hustling for 

       peace, after  backing one side of the 

       conflict,  by default and otherwise, is good

      showmanship  and bad  faith, Mr.   Feldman.

      

5.   The fall of the Abiy Ahmed administration 

      would not automatically lead to a 

      pro-USA  regime in Ethiopia. Abiy Ahmed

      was, ironically enough, the best bet for that. 

      But  in the final analysis,  chaos is 

      unpredictable.

     

    

Professor Gloria Emeagwali
Prof. of History/African Studies, CCSU
vimeo.com/ gloriaemeagwali
Recipient of the 2014 Distinguished Research
Excellence Award, Univ. of Texas at Austin;
2019 Distinguished Africanist Award
New York African Studies Association