Ethiopia and U.S. Relations

(MoFA, 03/06/09):-With the election of President Barack Obama in the United States, there has been some wild speculations within opposition groups in Ethiopia and the extremist Ethiopian Diaspora in the U.S., that the existing friendly relations between Ethiopia and the United States is set to change. These speculations were not based on any real analysis of the relationship between the two countries, but driven by emotional wishes of members of the Diaspora and even of some members of congress, who have, in the past few years, been trying to derail Ethio-U.S. relations. 

Newspapers often get criticized for misrepresentation, usually fairly, but when they get things wrong it is not in fact always their fault. Last week, the Reporter ran a story quoting the All Ethiopian Unity Party (AEUP). According to the AEUP, their chairman, Ato Hailu Shawal, had recently met with a US Embassy official, the Political and Economic Counselor, at the latter’s request. The report said Ato Hailu claimed the political atmosphere in Ethiopia was deteriorating and would continue to do so until various opposition demands were met, including the enforcement of all laws and regulations in all areas, free mobilization of all political parties without interference, free expression of opinion, reorganization of the National Electoral Commission and respect for the freedom of the press and the media. According to the AEUP, the US official accepted in its entirety the political assessment of the AEUP and he emphasized the need for the government to work in harmony with opposition parties, including AEUP. He also expressed the readiness of the new administration in Washington to reassess its policies on Ethiopia. The US Embassy in Addis Ababa did not agree with this account of the meeting. It rapidly issued a press statement putting the story straight:

“The United States Embassy does not endorse the press statement recently issued by the AEUP party and reprinted February 25 by local newspapers. The statement mischaracterizes the views of Embassy officials. Although the specific details of the Obama administration’s Africa policy are not yet public, Ethiopia will remain a core partner for the United States. US Embassy officials meet regularly with a broad spectrum of Ethiopian stakeholders, including government officials, opposition leaders and civil society. The US Embassy generally does not discuss publicly the content of private meetings.”

Of course, the US Embassy official to whom these remarks were attributed cannot be considered infallible, and it does not help to focus on individuals. 

Of course, all this misses the point that relations between states are not based on a whim or the wishes of individuals or particular interest groups, but on the national interests of states. These are formulated by and are the sum of carefully considered sets of priorities set by various institutions in governments. This is particularly so in the case of highly institutionalized and developed states, such as the United States of America.  Looking at U.S. foreign policy towards Ethiopia over the last half-century, one will notice that it is characterized more by continuity rather than discontinuity. And it should be noted that the relations between the two countries in the last 18 years have been consistently good regardless of changes in administration in Washington. This is not without reason. It is because both countries rightly recognize that maintaining a cooperative and friendly relationship between them was in their national interests.  

For Ethiopia, maintaining a friendly and cooperative relationship with the United States is in its national interest. It sees the U.S. as a valuable partner in its struggle against poverty. This applies not only with respect to its relations with the United States, but also to all Ethiopia’s development partners in the international community. Of course, United States is a global power with global interests. No matter how powerful however, it also needs partners, big or small, in order to pursue its national interests and to minimize threats. Ethiopia is a large country and the second most populous state in sub-Saharan Africa and a country with a huge potential to become an economically significant player in the continent. It is also a country which is currently playing a very important role in its sub-region and in Africa in terms of contributing to peace and stability. It is one of the top troop-contributing countries in Africa and is playing an increasingly important role in peace making efforts in the sub-region and in Africa as a whole.

Of course, this is not to say there are no issues where the two countries disagree. Indeed, there are and there will be, as is normal in relations between any two sovereign nations. The important thing here is that they have a relationship that is strong enough that allows them to hold frank and open discussions on issues of divergence as well as cooperate fully on issues of convergence