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Ethiopia: Washington update - June 21, 2021 - U.S. Policy towards Ethiopia
The United States government is poised to enact policies that would destabilize Ethiopia, creating a humanitarian catastrophe and a geopolitical disaster. The policies stem from a misunderstanding of the situation on the ground in Ethiopia, an honorable but misguided effort to calm a conflict, and a disregard for the suffering American actions could impose on millions of people who have played no role in that conflict.
There is still time for the Biden administration to pause and reconsider its approach to Ethiopia, for the U.S. to promote ideals it espouses – democracy, human rights, sovereignty, prosperity – rather than push the second-most populous country in Africa toward ruin.
The U.S. relationship with Ethiopia dates back to 1903, when King Menelik II signed a treaty of commerce with a representative of the U.S. government. Ethiopia supported the U.S. during the Cold War and has sacrificed the lives of its soldiers in the war on terrorism.
The U.S. has provided generous support for Ethiopia, on a humanitarian basis and in support of American strategic objectives. For decades after the fall of the communist regime in 1991, American aid helped Ethiopians overcome drought and famine, even as the country was ruled by a corrupt, violent and repressive dictator, Meles Zenawi.
Meles was a leader of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), and when he came to power, head of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRD). The U.S.
Ethiopia: Washington update - June 21, 2021 - U.S. Policy towards Ethiopia
The United States government is poised to enact policies that would destabilize Ethiopia, creating a humanitarian catastrophe and a geopolitical disaster. The policies stem from a misunderstanding of the situation on the ground in Ethiopia, an honorable but misguided effort to calm a conflict, and a disregard for the suffering American actions could impose on millions of people who have played no role in that conflict.
There is still time for the Biden administration to pause and reconsider its approach to Ethiopia, for the U.S. to promote ideals it espouses – democracy, human rights, sovereignty, prosperity – rather than push the second-most populous country in Africa toward ruin.
The U.S. relationship with Ethiopia dates back to 1903, when King Menelik II signed a treaty of commerce with a representative of the U.S. government. Ethiopia supported the U.S. during the Cold War and has sacrificed the lives of its soldiers in the war on terrorism.
The U.S. has provided generous support for Ethiopia, on a humanitarian basis and in support of American strategic objectives. For decades after the fall of the communist regime in 1991, American aid helped Ethiopians overcome drought and famine, even as the country was ruled by a corrupt, violent and repressive dictator, Meles Zenawi.
Meles was a leader of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), and when he came to power, head of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRD). The U.S.