
What’s Wrong With U.S. Policy For Ethiopia and Africa?
Lawrence Freeman, July 31, 2021
Knowledgeable American analysts of U.S.-African relations are disturbed by the U.S. government’s treatment of Ethiopia. In the first six months of the Biden Presidency, we have witnessed a dramatic reversal of U.S. support for a long standing ally in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia, the second largest nation in Africa, has been a regional leader, with its bold economic vision to improve the lives of its 110 million people.
Ethiopia has achieved two major accomplishments under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed during June and July. First, the successful June 21st national elections, and second, the natural partial filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Regrettably, there were no robust congratulations from President Biden for either achievement. Following the freest, fairest, and most peaceful elections in Ethiopia’s history, U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken’s only comment was: “the United States commends those who exercised their right to vote on June 21.” Unusual for elections in Africa, not one individual died in Ethiopia’s voting process. In contrast, several Americans died during the January 6th, violent protest of the U.S. electoral vote.
Equally astonishing, President Biden failed to praise the second filling of almost 14 billion cubic meters of water in the reservoir of the GERD, which will lead to production of electricity later this year. Following in the footsteps of former President Trump, the Biden administration and the Democrat controlled Congress, have tried to discourage Ethiopia from filling the GERD. Despite Ethiopia’s important role in Africa, Prime Minister Abiy’s notable reform movement, and the success of his Prosperity Party, President Biden has never talked to the Prime Minister.

Patient voters during the June 21, Ethiopian election
America’s Agenda for Democracy
Secretary of State Blinken along with several other officials from the Obama administration are leading President Biden’s global foreign policy with their mantra: “democracy, human rights, and rule of law.” But what do these words mean other than a desire to impose their world order on other nations.
Prime Minister Abiy’s non-ethnic based Prosperity Party won overwhelmingly in a democratic election deemed fair, free of violence and intimidation, and credible. Ethiopia Election: A Vote for Peace, Unity, and Prosperity. Millions of Ethiopians approved of Prime Minister Abiy’s policies, giving him a mandate to lead for another five years. That is democracy.
Shouldn’t “human rights” include the most fundamental right; the right for human beings to live a productive and dignified life? How is that possible when Africans are suffering from abject poverty, lack of food, clean water, and electricity. It is not possible.
The solution lies in physical economic development that transforms the conditions of life. As the Ethiopians are fond of saying: “eliminate poverty, don’t manage it.” Aid is not sufficient. Building vital infrastructure is an absolute necessity, not an option. More than anything else, African nations need electricity—a thousand gigawatts at least. Africa needs a minimum of 50,000 kilometers of high speed railroads. With the billions of dollars in aid given to African nations, transformative infrastructure projects could have been built. Isn’t the right to electricity a human right?
Then, why hasn’t Ethiopia been profusely praised for building the GERD to produce 6,200 megawatts (6.2 gigawatts) of electricity. Physical economic development is the most fundamental of human rights.
Prime Minister Abiy, responded to the attacks on the Ethiopian National Defense Force, (November 4, 2020), by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), as a leader should. He used the military capability of his nation to defeat the enemy within Ethiopia. Whatever grievances the TPLF might have had, a violent assault on the government’s military, is an insurrection. Americans have learned that lesson afresh on January 6th. Preserving the sovereign nation-state from a rebel insurgency, is the most supreme responsibility of a Head of State. There is no higher “rule of law,” as President Abraham Lincoln properly understood.

U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken
U.S.-Africa Policy; Does It Exist?
There are several components of U.S. policy towards Africa that undermine Ethiopia’s noteworthy effort to become a self-governing economically independent nation.
First, the U.S. does not have a long term development policy for Africa. It is willing to spend billions of dollars on short term aid, but nothing for large scale infrastructure that would actually improve living conditions. Despite all the attacks, and rantings against China and its Belt and Road, if China were to pull out of Africa it would negatively impact the continent. That is because the U.S. would not step in to fill the vacuum. Sadly, the last U.S. President that understood the importance of physical economic development in Africa, and acted on it, was John F. Kennedy.
Second, one cannot underestimate the general level of ignorance about Africa in U.S. society, especially our elected officials. Yes, there are a few members of Congress who have some knowledge about a few African nations. However, I can report to you with authority, after observing Washington for decades, that the overwhelming majority of Congress, have little knowledge of the actual dynamics, when implementing legislation affecting African nations, Overall, there is no in-depth historical understanding of the African continent or the nations that comprise it.
Third, the continent of Africa is close to last on the list of priorities for American Presidents. Often, U.S. policy for African nations is rarely articulated until the second year of a president’s term, except for the standard four page “talking points” paper on Africa.
Why African Leaders Are Opposed

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam-GERD, upper right, will drive economic development in East Africa with its 6,200 megawatts of electrical power.
This final point may be the most difficult for many readers to comprehend.
Following the liberation of African nations from the yoke of colonialism three score years ago, African leaders, who fight to improve conditions of life on the continent, always face opposition from within and without. There exists a financial-political elite, perhaps identified as an oligarchy, who see Africa for its material resources and financial gain. They attempt to exploit nations through international finance, manipulated terms of trade, and raw material prices controlled by the City of London based commodity cartels.
The key concerns of the neo-colonialist financial institutions have always been, if they cannot control the leadership of a country, a “divide and conquer” tactic is employed to weaken that nation. War and chaos are the preferred fallback alternatives to losing command of the targeted nation.
They have always opposed genuine development programs that would lift a nation out of poverty, and abhor strong governments and leaders that aspire to national sovereignty. Their ideology is dominated by “geo-politics” that sees the world as a zero sum game of winners and losers. Those with the most political and financial power are the winners. They have little desire to eliminate poverty. Except for the last one to two decades of China’s intervention, the West has dominated the African continent, with no demonstrable proof that their policies have improved the standard of living for the majority of Africans. Any progress in Africa is the result of national leaders, not Western policy.
Abiy is seen as a strong leader with enough personal determination to move his nation forward, as evidenced in the rise of the Prosperity Party, which was founded in opposition to ethno-nationalism.
The most recent vivid example of the elimination of an African leader was the overthrow and assassination of President Muammar Gaddafi, followed by the destruction of Libya. Remember this was done by the “liberal” Obama administration, led by then Ambassador to the U.N., Samantha Power. Many of those same operatives from the Obama era are now part of the Biden Administration. Have those individuals admitted their culpability in creating the failed state of Libya, and the destruction of North Africa after Gaddafi’s removal? Those same cast of characters are attempting to undermine Ethiopia today with their fake and hollow cries for “democracy, rule of law and human rights.”
There is often a coincidence of action and interests between those insisting on implementing their “liberal” doctrine, and the objectives of the political financial elites.

Samantha Power, then U.N. Ambassador under President Obama, and now head of USAID under President Biden. (courtesy of axios.com)
Almost nine months after Prime Minister Abiy chose to defend his nation, the TPLF, now been rebranded the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF), continues their violent attacks on the state of Ethiopia. After the June 28, unilateral declaration of a ceasefire by the government of Ethiopia, the TDF has launched offensive military deployments against two neighboring regions; Afar and Amhara. Not surprisingly, there have been no statements of condemnation of TDF by the Biden administration or Congress. Blinken, and the Congress have never acknowledged Ethiopia’s declaration that the TPLF/TDF is a terrorist organization. Instead, they continued to insist on reconciliation. Thus, establishing an equivalency between a duly constituted government and a rebel insurrectionist militia that is intent on destroying the nation of Ethiopia. This crucial failure, to withhold support from the government of Prime Minister Abiy, is contributing to Ethiopia’s turmoil today.
U.S.-Ethiopia Today
Is the U.S. lack of support for Prime Minister Abiy, encouraging the TDF to continue fighting? Is the U.S. today still demanding reconciliation with the insurrectionists who have announced their intention to march on Addis Ababa, the capital? Will the TDF military campaigns against other regions spark a greater war? If the conflict spreads in Ethiopia, will the U.S. accept responsibility for their encouragement of the TDF?
Who benefits if Ethiopia is torn apart by war? As the case of Libya has demonstrated; not Africans. If Ethiopia was to be torn apart in inter-ethnic warfare, tens of millions of Africans, not just Ethiopians, would suffer extreme hardship.
It is not too late for the Biden administration to correct its policy towards Ethiopia, before more Africans suffer from the spread of ethno-nationalist war.
Watch my 20 minute interview below, where I discuss the conflict between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan, the filling of the GERD, and U.S. policy towards Ethiopia.
Lawrence Freeman is a Political-Economic Analyst for Africa, who has been involved in economic development policies for Africa for over 30 years. He is the creator of the blog: lawrencefreemanafricaandtheworld.com. Mr. Freeman’s stated personal mission is; to eliminate poverty and hunger in Africa by applying the scientific economic principles of Alexander Hamilton
We owe great debt to the honorable Lawrence Freeman for his tireless and unshakable commitment to the cause of small nations aspiring to emulate America’s economic dynamism and political pluralism in order to transform their severely under developed countries. However, for such noble ideas to bear fruit by becoming official US policy they need to be institutionalized at the executive level.
When Richard Nixon desired to solve the Russian-Chinese challenge, he didn’t listen to the prevailing old school advocates of a preemptive nuclear attack. He rather blessed Henry Kissinger’s proposal of neutralizing China by dangling the prospect of an economic transformation of China via an American-Chinese collaboration.
Similarly we are at a point in world history where America needs fresh ideas to cash on its’ gigantic contribution to usher a new age of peaceful economic competition.
Today the student has matured to a point where it is challenging the sage. It’s time the wise old man not showcase his muscles but rather demonstrate that he still got the magic touch to hold on to his throne. No one can stop history but rather swim intelligently along.
The question therefore is “Are the Emperors’ counselors up to the task?” Trampling over small nations and confronting the competition to the point of destroying lives, over throwing stable and legitimate sovereign nations, disrupting law and order, creating chaos in the peaceful global marketplace are not strategically worthy advice that a counsel to a great nation should offer no matter how beautifully they are crafted.
What America and the world needs today is a new and improved Henry Kissinger type strategic thinker to capitalize on it’s enormous wealth, incredible wizardry of it’s technocrats, vitality, creativity, energy, imagination and humanity of its learned class, top notch technological base, national sense of fair play, morality and powerful democratic values.
As Calvin Coolidge long time ago theorized, “America’s business is business.” America didn’t win the Cold War by collaborating with barbaric village dictators but inviting the willing and able nation builders to her opportunity table. That approach also created a peaceful global market place for America to showcase the benefits of peaceful collaboration and increase its’ national wealth.
Peace is an absolute necessity for prosperity and the American genius is an integral part of building this prosperity along those commuted to share in this historical new journey.
Always great to read your input and unbiased articles about Ethiopia Mr. Freeman. I applaud you !
Please check this video clip below an example of a very dangerous resource driven divide and conquer tactic by some globally connected elements against Africa in general.
https://www.facebook.com/100003769376498/posts/2346775822124707/?sfnsn=mo
The West, including the US, supported TPLF during their struggle with the Dergue government of Ethiopia and helped them come to power in 1991. The West looked the other way when the TPLF regime committed unspeakable atrocities from 1991 to 2018.
And now, whilst Abiy is engaged in bringing economic development and in the process of democratization and the establishment of the rule of law, the West has been incessantly harassing him, rather than supporting his government.
What would Haile Selassie feel and say if he was alive today and saw the damage the Biden Administration has done to the very long and amicable relationship between the two countries?
Thank you for you brilliant article that clearly shows the reality on the ground in Ethiopia. Hope, this article invokes someone’s conscious to do the right thing before it gets to late.
As an Ethiopian- American, I have supported & campaigned in our community to vote for Joe Biden and Senators in Georgia. Now, thousands are very disappointed with the Biden administration on its policy on Ethiopia. He is way off the mark on all accounts. Although, we attempted to reach the elected senators, they are giving us deaf ears. But, we are organizing to make sure Democrats lose the Senate and the house in 2022 elections.
I am glad you folks in Georgia are organizing. We Ethiopian Americans are highly indignant with regards to the dangerous and unjust meddling by some US politicians (such as Blinken, Powers, Meeks, Bass and others) in the internal affairs of our motherland, Ethiopia.
I am sure there are more than 11K of Ethiopian Americans in Georgia and I am certain Dems know what that number could mean with regards to the outcome of elections in that state. I cannot wait to see Dems become a minority in 2023 (they will never get my money or vote again).
It is a highly interesting irony that now Biden’s administration is trying to undermine the results of the free and fair national elections of Ethiopia held in June 2021, after Biden himself having had to go through the agony of his own election being undermined (or even at risk of being invalidated) by his opponent who was in power at the time.
What a great read. All to the point and facts are put openly on the table. Thank you for your genuine analysis. Hope it open eyes of the US politicians to take the right path on assisting Africans towards TRUE democracy and human rights.
Thank you for understanding the actual situation in Ethiopia and Africa. I am not surprised by police makers but the ignorance of the international media or absence of a single proffecinal journalist who want to reveal the truth. As Mr. Trump said they all are “Fake News Agencies” with no proffecin ethics.