PLEASE WATCH this provocative and important analysis regarding Ethiopia
February 3, 2022
In this interview with Prime Media conducted on January 27, 2022, Lawrence Freeman evaluates the current situation in Ethiopia and offers substantive suggestions for the Ethiopian National Dialogue.
Freeman stressed the geopolitical intentions of the Anglo-American establishment to control the waterways off the Horn of Africa, which necessitates not allowing Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia to act independently. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed violated the geopolitical “rules of the game” by forming a new cooperation agreement with Eritrea and Somalia. Weakening the central government and demonizing PM Abiy while simultaneous elevating the status TPLF is required to make Ethiopia malleable to Anglo-American dictates for the region.
Freeman suggested that the National Dialogue address the inherent fallacies of ethnic federalism that equate membership in an ethnic group with citizenship of the Ethiopian nation-state. We are all human beings, the only species endowed with the power of creativity, which makes all people universally the same, not to be divided by blood lines or geography.
Read my earlier post: Ethiopia’s Prosperity Party: A Revolutionary Necessity
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.
Who ever came up with the saying “a friend in need is a friend indeed” must have been thinking about great individuals like Mr. Freeman. The gentleman is a full blooded American who could be walking happily the CNN line of geopolitics. No sir. He is a good old internationalist American who believes in the good old dictum- live and let live!
As he has eloquently stated in his interview, and actually has demonstrated through ths career, he is once again reminding us not to be fulled again and become easy picking by our enemies in the coming national dialogue. Unity, unity, unity he warns us is our savior.
I fully agree. The big get together shouldn’t be to prove if we are the shining city on top of Mount Ras Dashen, or a Kircha Bere to be divided equally among the “protagonists”. It is rather, first to recognize and be thankful to our current brilliant leadership, the gallant sons and daughters of the Ethiopian armed forces and all other fighters, the united people of Ethiopia and the grace of God that demolished our internal and external enemies and kept Ethiopia independent and united.
Secondly, all participants should recognize from the outset that the fundamental questions of our union have already been addressed and are in the books. (a) The land question has been already addressed. The Ethiopian people are, constitutionally, the sole owners of the land. Of course, the process of legalizing individual ownership is our next project. (b) The peoples’ unquestionable right to elect their representatives is established by law and have been put in practice in the most recent election. An election that should give us a marvelous starting point as witnessed by respected international and local observers. (c) The question of recognizing additional languages as official working languages have been established as fundamental part of our democratic representation and need to be acted upon. The inclusion of Afan Oromo is a grate example of this understanding specially considering the power of creativity and dynamism it will unleash among the millions of it’s speakers.
I strongly hope and pray the participants of this humongous and important gathering will focus, as Mr. Freeman hopes and prays, on what policies to develop in creating a more perfect union. As China’s Foreign Minister recently stated, Africa’s greatest trap is poverty. The conference will be fulfilling it’s historical duty if it agrees on a formula that will fill the empty stomachs of our people, find ways to save them from ravaging diseases, build them shelters to protect them from the negative elements of nature and give the millions of educated and less learned but energetic, honest and willing to work Ethiopians to change their lives and build a starting point for future generations.
If the big get together accomplishes the above, history will remember It as the day Ethiopians laid down their sectarian differences and built strong foundations for it’s greatness. I pray and hope it shall be done.
Thank you, Lawrence. As usual, you have presented to us, in your interview, a reasoned proposal whether to choose elites geared ethnic federalism, which is incompatible with ensuring the rights of citizens, or opening the space for a national dialogue for citizens to decide on their future.
The Hamilton vs Jefferson reference is a sensible guide for us to have an indivisible nation in which all citizens enjoy equal rights regardless of their ethnicity and religion; an antithesis of the TPLF agenda.
I totally agree with your analysis of the US adminstration stance with regard to the current state of affairs in Ethiopia. Unless the Ethiopian government succumbs to the whims of the White House, no political gesture would satisfy the Biden administration. The choice is between surrendering Ethiopia’s sovereignty and falling in the trap hatched by the USA. Whatever national dialogue we may have, our future should be decided not by political elites with vested interests but by the active involvement of the wider public, assuring the free flow of ideas to all with no impedance of any sort across the country.
Looking forward to a bright future!
Tedla