By Jonathan Tepperman | NEWSWEEK
Few people outside Ethiopia have ever heard of Birtukan Mideksa. And that’s just how the government wants it. Since December, Birtukan has been kept in solitary confinement, one of hundreds of political prisoners there. Her apparent crime? Organizing a democratic challenge to the increasingly iron-fisted rule of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
In the past year alone, Meles’s ruling party has rigged elections, effectively banned independent human-rights groups, passed a draconian press law and shrugged off calls for an investigation into alleged atrocities in the restive Ogaden region. Yet in the same period, his country has become one of the largest recipients of U.S. aid in sub-Saharan Africa, getting a cool $1 billion in 2008. The Bush administration claimed that Ethiopia was the linch-pin of its regional counterterrorism strategy and a vital beacon of stability. But the evidence increasingly suggests Washington isn’t getting what it pays for, and is supporting a brutal dictator in the process. Candidate Obama pledged to strengthen democracy in Africa; if he’s serious, this is a good place to start.
America’s warm relations with Ethiopia date to the days after 9/11, when the country’s Christian-dominated government came to be seen as a natural U.S. ally in a region targeted by Islamic extremists. After disputed elections in 2005, however, Meles—once hailed by President Bill Clinton as part of a promising “new generation” of African leaders—began clamping down on dissent.
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Yet Washington tolerated his lapses because it needed his help fighting Qaeda-linked Islamists in next-door Somalia. In December 2006, Ethiopia’s U.S.-trained Army duly invaded its neighbor, ousting the radical Islamic Courts Union government there. But the adventure hasn’t worked out as planned. No sooner had the ICU been toppled than an even more radical group, Al-Shabab, sprang up to fight the invaders. And although Seyoum Mesfin, Ethiopia’s foreign minister, recently told NEWSWEEK that the Islamists have been militarily “shattered,” they now control much of the country’s south and have tightened links with Al Qaeda. Meanwhile, the Ethiopian troops have pulled out, and the country they left behind has been thoroughly devastated. Two years of fighting forced about 3.4 million Somalis, some 40 percent of the population, from their homes. Yet only a few high-ranking terrorists were eliminated, and Russell Howard, a retired general and senior fellow at the Pentagon’s Joint Special Operations University, says the occupation only “empowered” the radicals.
Such failures—and Ethiopia’s growing repression—suggest Washington should rethink the relationship. Just what Ethiopia offers the United States today is unclear. Addis Ababa has contributed troops to U.N. peacekeeping forces in Darfur and Burundi and plays a large role in shaping the policies of the African Union. But this shouldn’t earn it unquestioning U.S. support.
To reset ties, the United States should push Ethiopia to democratize. And it must urge it to reconcile with its archnemesis, Eritrea. Resolving the conflict between the two states is key to addressing a whole range of threats to U.S. interests. Tiny Eritrea won independence from Addis Ababa in 1993, but the two countries fought a 1998–2000 border war and relations have remained hostile ever since, in part because Ethiopia, with tacit U.S. support, has ignored an international ruling that redrew their border. Too weak to challenge Ethiopia directly, Eritrea has funneled support to its enemy’s enemies—including Al-Shabab and its America-hating foreign fighters. Eritrea also recently instigated a border conflict with Djibouti, home to an important U.S. military base.
Washington should thus push Ethiopia and Eritrea to make amends; better relations would mean an end to their proxy war in Somalia, which has helped turn that state into a Qaeda haven. Should it choose to use it, the United States has plenty of leverage. Most U.S. spending on Ethiopia goes for health and food aid, which aren’t easy to cut. But the Obama administration could make military aid and weapons sales contingent on Meles’s improving his behavior. The House of Representatives passed a bill in 2007 to do just that, but the measure died in the Senate without White House support.
Much will now depend on the man Obama has nominated for the State Department’s top Africa job, Johnnie Carson. Carson’s record is promising: while ambassador to Kenya from 1999 to 2003, he helped persuade longtime President Daniel Arap Moi to step down, clearing the way for multiparty elections. Should he bring similar pressure to bear on Washington’s new African ally, Birtukan, Ethiopia’s other political prisoners, Africans throughout the Horn and America itself would all benefit.
(With Jason Mclure in Addis Ababa)
11 thoughts on “Washington’s relationship with Ethiopia – Newsweek”
When will I ever read an insightful and knowledgeable article. I am really begging for that day. Thank you Elias for bringing out the garbage in what we believe is invincible. I can’t believe that Newsweek is this trash. Since childhood I saw Newsweek laying around the house and did have respect for its journalistic, reporting but now that I am grown and started to analyze things critically, I have lowered its rating to BS.
Woyannew “tezibt,”
How many credible magazine are there in this world that will sing glory to Meles Naziawi’s “democracy” or respect for human rights? Go and give them gold medals, but leave Newsweek alone. Newsweek does not really need the admiration for its journalist quality by primal TPLF cadres like you.
Bonna
Thank you Jonathan for your’ effort to capture Ethiopian political situation. It is much more dipper than what you wrote what Meles has done to Ethiopian people. We are as the people equally condom Clinton, Tony B, and Bush when it comes to what Meles and his tugs have done to Ethiopian people.Meles used American and Britain tax payers money to terrorize Ethiopian people.
Thank you for your good work.
Tizibt, I think it is better to ask some body around you who knows english well. May be you could need some help. In addition it is also good to know the history of the horn of Africa. Other wise you are Meles’s enjera lij, you should cry.
What Jonatan fail to report is facts. The fact that the woyanes are acting like thugs with impunity and with full blessing of US. The fact that it is the US that is keeping these thugs in life support. The ongoing crime which too many to mention includes murder, rape, torture, and crime against humanity paid for by none other than Uncle Sam. What Jonathan forgot to mention is who is pulling the puppets strings. The fact that ignoring constructive critisism being labeled as untie and be dismisive of those who offered altermative advise. As for the facts Jonathan lucks the decency to investigate the truth independetly instead he chose the spin route. As to the amount US paid, it got a lot of blood on its hand in return. As for Newsweek the current downturn will give it a perfect cover to rename its publication to Spinweek.
In all seriousness, this is a wonderful article and a great analysis. Juicy and crisp. Good luck to Johnnie Carson with a huge task ahead. You just have to read this article to know what is going on.
The first and important thing the Obama administration should do in regard to Ethiopia is to help and co-sponsor the effort of Genocide Watch in charging Meles Zenawi in International Criminal Court. He has killed thousands of innocent people because of their ethnic origin the Oromo, Ogaden Angnuac, Amhara and others. Meles Zenawi must be charged with genocide and crimes against humanity!!!
Meles Zenawi= Omar Bashir
Amazing!! It heralds a new U.S policy on Ethiopia and the Horn Of Africa.
I want to thank Jonathan Tepperman for his clear and correct analysis. Today, the Meles regiem is responsible for the misery we are witnessing in Ethiopia and the horn as a whole. It is a well know fatc that Meles can not rule Ethiopia for 24 hours (let alone for weeks and months withut the support of the United states. If the Obama adminstration is really interested to solve the problems inside Ethiopia and the horn of Africa as a whole, it needs to stopi its unconditional support to the ruthless regiem in Ethiopia. I hope the new assistant african secretary of state Johnnie Carson will design his own approch rather than pursuing wrong apprcoh of his predecessor Dr.Jendai Frezer who was working for the Meles regiem rather than the state department. I think the key to all is forcing Meles to implement the border ruling with Eritrea.
Almost all male U.S. citizens ,SPECIALLY THOSE WANTING TO GET INTO FEDERAL GOVT. JOBS, male aliens living in the U.S. AND who are 18 through 25, are required to register with Selective Service. for military purposes ..
NON-CITIZENS
.Almost all other male noncitizens are required to register, including illegal aliens, legal permanent residents, and refugees. The general rule is that if a male noncitizen takes up residency in the U.S. before his 26th birthday, he must register with Selective Service..
DUAL NATIONALS
Dual nationals of the U.S. and another country are required to register, regardless of where they live, because they are U.S. nationals TO ensure positive relations.
It is time for the Americans to abandon TPLF and start creating good relationship with the opposition/ Majority leaders. TPLF is working very hard to spoil Ethiopia’s centuries old good relationship with the Americans.Fighting with terrorism is not new to Ethiopia we have been always victimes and defended the area successfully during the previous regimes.
Debe