“Bitter Sweet”
What Ethiopia
Endured for Two Decades may now Teach
America
in Days for the Better
Adal Isaw
March 29, 2010
During Mr. Barack Obama’s campaign for the Presidency of the US, and right after the passage of his famous or infamous health care bill, American politics has shown to have regressed by more than half a century. To bring it back to where it was and to sustain the sanity of one of the oldest forms of democracies in the world, a political work has to be done by tolerant, civil and progressive democratic forces of America. Otherwise, America will continue to encounter an identical democratization challenge that the sprouting Ethiopian democracy is struggling to rid for the past two decades.
The recent backward political spectacle in America should be an eye opener to all democratic forces, academics, departments of foreign affairs, states with issues about democracy and democratization, and to many other concerned citizens of our world. But particularly, it should be an eye cleanser and a cogent reason for USDS (United States Department of State)—to venture on a case study and reevaluate its own protocols and rationales—before it issues a policy statement or an annual summary of its take about sprouting democracies.
Ethiopia’s sprouting democracy is a perfect case study for America to consider; and it will help if USDS begins by reevaluating the political behaviors of parties and organizations within Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Diaspora at large. Such a study allows USDS to gain a great deal of comparative knowledge about the nature of mob mentality and uncivil ideological discourse that it is now witnessing in its backyard. It may further unveil the part that which has blind-sided USDS from seeing—the true nature of opposition politics in Ethiopia. But most importantly, it may enlighten USDS to deduce the similarity that exists between American and Ethiopian political personalities on the fringe of a violence-prone ideological discourse.
When Sarah Palin (the darling of the right wing element within the GOP (Grand Old Party)) employs Twitter, to ask followers, not to "…Retreat, Instead – RELOAD,” and when Erick Erickson—a known right-wing blogger and CNN contributor, sums up his resentment by asserting that “…King George must be fought,” America should start to see why Ethiopia is adamantly opposed to violence-prone ideological discourse.
When protesters insult US Reps. Andre Carson (D-Ind) and John Lewis (D-Ga) with racial slurs and spit on Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver; when House Minority Leader John Boehner calls the passage of the health care bill an "Armageddon," while Chairman Michael Steele of the Republican Party not only agrees, but pitches up the incendiary rhetoric with his wish to put House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on “… the firing line this November," America should start to see why Ethiopia is adamant, to keep the democratization process beyond the reach of a violence-prone ideological discourse.
When Todd Akin (R-MO) calls on
Americans to “reacquaint” themselves with “… a deadly enemy within…;” when
Conservative congressmen Michele Bachmann and Steve King call for a revolution,
while Chairman Michael Steele of the
Republican Party rejects “to sign a joint civility statement that condemns the threats made to members
of Congress of both parties,” America should now see why Ethiopia is
adamant to keep the democratization process out of the reach of a violence-prone
ideological discourse. Not only that, America should now see with clarity why the
nascent Ethiopian democratization process needs a Code of Conduct Agreement to
accompany it.
Hate, resentment, racism and phobia are the ingredients of a poisonous cocktail of a backward ideological discourse that a democratic society struggles to rid. And the reasons for these degenerating political ingredients are multi-pronged and many, but the solution comes only in a single strand of civility. America needs to get back to its tolerant, accommodating and modern ideological discourse. And much like Ethiopia, America may need to come up with its own Code of Conduct Agreement— to reopen the door of civil ideological discourse and to sustain its never-ending democratization process alive.
For this writer, America’s uncivil and backward political spectacle of the past few days has been such a “bitter sweet” phenomenon to observe. Bitter—for it has caused pain on those who were subjected to bigoted, racist and demeaning slurs. Sweet—for it has awaken US policy makers to seriously study the nature of opposition parties and individuals—wherever and whenever America’s national security interests is at stake. But for those Ethiopians who are working day-and-night to uplift a beloved country of many millions, the backward political spectacle of America of the past few days should be particularly sweeter. Because what Ethiopia endured for two decades may now teach America in days for the better.