Category: Opinion
Though in many ways this article continues my previous article titled, “On Transitional Government and Ethnic Federalism”, logically speaking, it precedes it in that it provides the social dynamics behind Dr. Abiy’s vision of መደመር, which I translate by the…
Locating Ethiopia Even though Ethiopia is widely mentioned in great Classical mythologies, maps, art, sculptures, poetry, war narratives, it has always been difficult to establish the country or its people in concise geographical and historical contexts on the basis of…
( This is the second part of the article, “Ethiopianism,” The “Neo-Official-Nationalism,” and the “Oromia First!” Trend, published on July 30.) In the past, on another platform (at OSA Conference, July 2016, Washington DC), I put forward three scenarios for…
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s visit to the Ethiopian diaspora in the US has offered the occasion to raise two crucial issues that have been the object of intense discussions among many students of Ethiopian politics and political activists since his…
This paper is in response to a request made repeatedly to give my personal accounts on and observation of the political culture and the current uncertainty looming in Ethiopia. Toward this goal, the paper aims, in the current Ethiopia’s context…
The idea of global Ethiopia is an architectural narrative scheme to unpack Ethiopia and the global intellectual and cultural movement it has inspired. Through systematic exploration of ancient mythologies, historical records, biblical verses and contemporary events, the various strands of…
Ethnic-based political party systems tend to be unstable and violent Ethiopian ethnic consciousness is strong and elites operate in groups Way forward is for ethnic parties to team up in integrated alliances Although rarely mentioned in constitutions, there is no…
High growth has been driven by increasing government spending Low tax-take and stodgy t-bill market meant borrowing to plug deficit Market reforms and fiscal framework needed to improve management Ethiopia’s economic growth of the past decade has mainly been driven…
Successful democratic change requires scrutiny of reforming authorities. Not shaming those who dare to air critical views about the powers that be. A few weeks ago, while discussing my impressions of Dr. Abiy and his premiership, a friend took offense…
(Editors’ note: This article is published as a response to Alemayehu Weldemariam’s Ethiopia Observer commentary headlined Ethiopia’s Charismatic Leader: Riding the Wave of Populism or Reforming Ethnic Federalism? The original version of this response was published on the author’s Facebook…