The following opinion piece by former American ambassadors Vicki Huddleston and Tibor Nagy is posted on the New York Times. While serving in Ethiopia, Ambassador Huddleston had earned a reputation as a Woyanne apologist instead of a true representatives of the U.S. Government and American values after she refused to speak out against the massacre of pro-democracy protesters and unarmed civilians by Meles Zenawi’s forces in June and Nov. 2005. It is callous diplomats like Vicky who advance the interest of dictators who are harming the image of the United States around the world. What Vicky and Tibor fail to point out is that for the 70 million people of Ethiopia there is no worse terrorist than Meles Zenawi and is gang of Woyanne thugs. That is why if Meles starts a war with Eritrea, most Ethiopians will stand with the Eritrean regime or boycott the war.
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Don’t Turn on Ethiopia Woyanne
By VICKI HUDDLESTON and TIBOR NAGY
NINE years ago, two nations began the first modern war in sub-Saharan Africa, leaving in two years more than 100,000 dead. Today Eritrea and Ethiopia Woyanne could reignite their old border conflict. Arms and money from radicals throughout the Middle East, as well as troops trained in Eritrea, have strengthened an insurgency in Ogaden Province, in southeastern Ethiopia.
A new war in the Horn of Africa would destabilize the region and bolster radical Islam’s push to build a Muslim caliphate.
Sadly, Congress is poised to fuel the march toward war by passing a bill that threatens to cut off technical assistance to Ethiopia Woyanne, one of our closest allies, if it does not, among other things, release political prisoners, ensure that the judiciary operates independently and permit the news media to operate freely. Ethiopia Woyanne has already freed opposition leaders, reformed parliamentary rules [not true] to give opposition parties greater legislative responsibility [not true] and approved a new media law that meets international standards [oh! what a lie]. By singling out Ethiopia Woyanne for public embarrassment, the bill puts Congress unwittingly on the side of Islamic jihadists and insurgents [to save Woyanne from embarrassment, the people of Ethiopia should continue to suffer, according to Vicky].
A far better approach would be to buttress Ethiopia against threats to its survival [the only threat Ethiopia faces to her survival is from Woyanne] — by helping it resolve its border conflict and ensuring that it reopens negotiations with insurgents and traditional leaders and permits international investigation of reported military abuses (including allegations of rape and murder [by Meles Zenawi’s soldiers]). Ethiopia Woyanne has begun this process by allowing the United Nations and humanitarian aid agencies to assist civilians in the Ogaden.
Eritrea demands that the border be marked exactly as determined five years ago. But this places some Muslim and Christian villages on what they consider to be the wrong side of the border, cuts through others and splices certain roads several times. The United States should press both governments to let people who live on the border help reach a mutual agreement on the final boundary.
Ethiopia is a nation where 77 million Orthodox Christians and Muslims live in peace, engaged in building a democracy while besieged from within and without by enemies of democracy. Congress should put aside its bill and instead use creative diplomacy to deal with the combined threat of insurgency and war.
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Vicki Huddleston, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Tibor Nagy, a vice provost at Texas Tech University, are former chiefs of mission at the American Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
13 thoughts on “Discredited former U.S. ambassador opposes HR 2003”
VICKI HUDDLESTON must have received $$$ millions from Al Alamudi and Meles. When every democracy lover is pushing for HR 2003 to pass, this vindictive and sleazy woman is trying to block democratic reforms in Ethiopia. She seems to have outdated herself from the current situation in Ethiopia. She should be aware that change is coming to Ethiopia from every direction. Soon she will realize how wrong she has been.
It is unfortunate that the good people of US is represented by people like her who stand against the interst of the majority people in support of dictators, personalized politics and kick backs! Personal poletics that lead Musharaf in to another Saddam won’t work with Melese is not going to work! It is a matter of time!
You are right Elias, She is discredited.
Elias I usually agree with your opinion. I am against Woyane’s govrnment all the time. But I don’t agree with your opinion about what you said this time, that the Ethiopian people will stand with the Eritrean Regime to fight against Woyane. That is absolutly wrong. Those two are one and the same. Shabiya has its own issue to fight with Woyane, not for the sake of the Ethiopian people. woyane or Shabia are both ENEMIES of Ethiopia, Period.
Both are discredited former diplomats who would apologise for hitler if they were given the chance.Ms.Huddelston particularly at the time seemed happy when hundreds were killed and thousands were tortured by Melese Zenawi.No need to respect this third rate diplomats.We have friends both in the Senate and the House who stands with the people of Ethiopia not with a fascist regime like Vicki and Tibor.
Vicki Huddleston is the most ignorant, intellectually bankrupt, dishonest and perhaps corrupt official who has ever served the US diplomatic core. I believe in democracy and Vicki’s patronage appointment was revealed. The Sheikh who sponsors this US poilicy deception campaign will be disappointed with her incoherent and ignorant remarks – she may have to account for the money she was paid.
It is a public knowledge and as someone indicated above, Vicki while Ambassador in Ethiopia was reported vacationing in Italy with the terrorist sponsor of Ethiopia, Al Amoudi himself. I guess the one working for the Sheikh (the former Ambassador) was only a messenger to the Vicki and Nagy who are supposedly career third rate diplomats.
It is simply incomprehensible that a US diplomat standing in defence of tyranny and against everything the US stands for – I am not sure what Vicki’s exact relation with the Sheikh but sooner or later it will catch up with her – we will leave no stone unturned to shade light on her shady behaviour during her tenure in Ethiopia and since unceremoniously dumped from the position.
It is not the first time that Sheikh Al Amoudi’s money was suspected in sponsoring Al Quaeida / Terrorists as reported by “USA Today” – this certainly needs more investigative reporting – where did he make all the money from (Arms dealing – who knows! Contrary to the propaganda of fear mongering that Vicki Huddleston is attempting to spread, the American public is very smart and can tell mercenaries from genuine diplomats.
She is the one being sponsored by those affiliated with Terrorists and now sponsoring apologists for a dictator – this is called “sleeping with the enemy”.
I just came from Ethiopia few days ago. What a lie? There is absolutly no oppostion media at all. Forget about an independent judiciary. If you speak any thing bad, or opposing (differnt) veiw, your gone for good.
I’m not sure where these high-school drop out diplomat have been in Ethiopia. How did Vicki and Tibor managed to print thes lie in New York times? No proof checking from the NewsPaper either?
We the pople know the truth. You cannot lie to us. May be you can be dis-honest to the people of USA.
I wonder how much you’ve been paid by the corrupted Ethiopian government? You needed some pocket money to get by, I guess you have it. No amount of lie will cover this dictator.
Vicki and Tibor are two corrupted and disgrace human being. That could be the reason, you had been assigned in Ethiopia with a dictator.
Thank U!!
Listen guys, why do you not address their opinion instead of name calling? What is wrong with us? Anyone that does not agree with us always labeled as a traitor, a liar, and other vile names.
To be honest, I equate HR 2003 with the denial of armament in the 1970s by the USA to the derg, when Ethiopia was under a cloud of invasion by Somalia as well as Eritrea. Here we are many years later history is repeating itself.
Please understand me, in the history of Ethiopia there was never as cruel and single minded and ethnic based as weyane is. Yet, what is the alternative? What will happen if the extremist Somalians over run Addis? What will happen if the people of Tigray are annihilated by the Crude Eritrean army? Is that the defeat we want to see? I believe we can work by a peaceful means with TPLF and its associates without raising an arm. How do you guarantee the change you are wishing is better than the past? I simply ask you to be more objective based on facts than becoming emotional. By now some of you will think, I am writing on behalf of weyane. Think what you want. But I am not, and I will not be!
It is clear now woyane starts all out war aginist HR2003, and kinijit. they spend millions to stop this bill. they send corrupted senetor and diplomats like viki. they also sending woyane agents like Aiga, and the main enemy of diaspora ethiopian first, if you saw ethiopia first’s comments all he doing aganist ethiopian people, but he always crying by saying “Emama Ethiopia”. He collecting a pettion to block HR2003, and now he telling us kinijit leaders will go back to Kaliti. Even he didn’t post Birhanu’s and Siye’s interview with VOA, while he posting Hailu’s, Taye’s, Bediru’s, yosef’s etc., On the other hand he trying to be fare midia to both oppositin and EPRDf. Do you know about this guy Biniyam? I think he look like Bereket’s PR. If you have his picturs please put on the web like Mirchaw and Nigusse.
Thank you for exposing viki’s lie.
First of all if we searches,who is viko or vicki ,she is an old woman about 70 years,ambasader in MALI,WST Africa before she come to kill our people,the MALIANS SPECIALY the cotton producers remember her very well,when she said if the Maliens coton worker are not going to die if they loose their job.
Well think about it. It is not secret that, officials who are sent to developing country, are the most uneducated personnels either friendship or corruption earn them this kind of position. For instance, take a look some of NGO representatives and priests who work throughout Ethiopia. Most of them are child molesters and it is well documented that a lot of children have been abusing by these criminals. My friends, the Americans or other western countries don’t give a rat about our democracy or anything else regrading about our country.These personnels, if they get a chance to accumulate wealth ( by any means), they don’t hesitate for a second to catch the opportunity.Vicki Huddleston and Tibor Nagy are a good examples of this unfortunate reality.
This lady is a lobbist in ambassador’s dress. Have you heard her talk about Ethiopia on CSPAN last year?
She wasn’t talking but the money she gets from Woyane and their main supporter Al Amoudi/check this out/.
She should be investigated for the money she gets from Woyane
In their joint article dubbed “Do Not Turn on Ethiopia”, former USA mission chiefs in Addis Abeba Vicki Huddleston and Tibor Nagy assert or claim that the Ethiopian government is being harassed by anti-democratic forces from within and without. They go on to advise that the political situation obtaining in the country needs nurturing and protection rather than condemnation. As regards the internal political struggle within Ethiopia, there is clear consensus – both at the national and international levels – as to the fact that the democratization process leaves too much to be desired. If the situation deteriorates further it is likely that the country could implode, followed by regional conflagration. Most Ethiopians would agree, though, with the two authors that extremist forces do pose a threat to Ethiopia’s national unity and political integrity. In this respect, The authors’ defence of the indefensible – that the regime is being harassed by anti-democratic forces from within as well – lends credence to the long-held suspicion by many Ethiopians that US-mandated emissaries in Addis Abeba and possibly Washington have had a hand in the terrible political mess the country has been immersed. The article, therefore, is, in most likelihood, nothing more than a feeble attempt to window-dress or whitewash the unsavory track record of complicity on the part of a few US diplomats, civil servants and politicians in the terrible political repression and human right abuses that are taking place in Ethiopia.
Ethiopians are crying loud and clear that the best way to fend off the threat of militancy and extremism aimed against Ethiopia is to usher in, without further delay, a regime that stands for genuine democracy with the political willingness to bind all Ethiopians together. Sadly, the way things are arranged now, the preponderant majority of Ethiopians are held as bondsmen to the whims and vagaries of a tiny minority interested in clinging to power, come what may. Any novice armed solely with a political science 101 credentials cannot fail to point out that the current situation is too tenuous and highly unstable to be considered sustainable. Hence, the relentless drive on the part of concerned Ethiopians and their friends to reverse the slide away from democratic routes. We don’t need the Huddlestons and Nagys of this world to add insult to our injury by advocating for the maintenance of the status quo, with a cynical disregard for the consequences of such a policy for the unity of Ethiopians and the preservation of the country’s political integrity.
The two former mission chiefs are now in the service of prestigious US institutions otherwise deemed reliable sources for objective and impartial advice. The article comes as a shocker for those who like to believe that professionals associated with institutions like the Brookings and Texas Tech University are the paragons of wisdom and integrity. I call upon both institutions to disown the ill-advised and ill-portending article.
Tadesse Gezahegn
Ottawa, Canada