FROM THE CRYPT: WEEKLY COLUMN

Ethiopian Think-Tank Pioneering Conference

By Tecola W. Hagos

Here I am including my unsolicited words of caution addressed to the Organizers: stay the course and do not change these excellent start-up presentations by distinguished scholars and others into some third rate political advocacy appendage to some political party. I urge the members of the group to stay above the fry and deal with issues concerning Ethiopia in a universal sense. 

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Michael Jackson and the unrealized visit to Ethiopia

By Teodros Kiros ( Ph.D)

We are the world, you said; the Ethiopian world is ours you added. You sung to comfort the patients of famine, the language of Ethiopian poverty. You motivated your fellow singers to sing for the Ethiopian world, and Ethiopians will continue to herald your name, and sing for you in their hearts.

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Obama appoints Mehret Mandefro as a White House Fellow

WASHINGTON, DC – The White House announced today the appointment of 15 outstanding men and women to serve as White House Fellows. The 2009-2010 class of White House Fellows represents a diverse cross-section of professions including medicine, business, media, education, non-profit and state government, as well as two branches of the U.S. military. The 2009-2010 class of Fellows and their biographies are included below.

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THE NEED FOR PARADIGM CHANGE - III

By G. E. Gorfu

Another hot topic of the day is the recent interview of PM Meles Zenawi and his wish to step down. This is not the first time the PM expressed this wish, and it is a great decision. It will usher in a new era in Ethiopian politics.

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Ethiopia and Zenawi’s gangster capitalism
By Abebe Gellaw

Despite the fact that Sebhat was in command of the fraudulent enterprise until he was recently replaced by the dictator’s wife, Queen of Mega Azeb Mesfin, he could not recollect the amount of wealth EFFORT has been accumulating since it started monopolizing the Ethiopian economy in 1995. But it is easy to guess when an illegal entity operates under legal cover without paying income taxes or serving bank loans.

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We support the courageous men and women of Iran fighting for their human rights and human dignity and justice, and rule of law. We honor those who lost their lives in such a great cause and struggle.  We believe the election result announcing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as President-elect by the Government and endorsed by the “Supreme Leader” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to be bogus and unacceptable. There should be a new election with international observers.

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EDITORIAL: Shame on You Sebhat Nega!

By Tecola Hagos

For the last eighteen years, Ethiopia’s wealth had been looted, illegally transferred to private ownership of sham corporate structures and fully controlled by TPLF leaders such as Sebhat Nega and Meles Zenawi. The shortage of foreign exchange, the price hiking, the disappearance of gold bars from the national reserve worth hundreds of millions of dollars et cetera are all tied to the monumental corruption created by the economic monopoly and lack of accountability, and corruption of the leadership of TPLF of which party Sebhate Nega was for years the leading representative and executive of EFFORT that controlled mega millions in such investments.

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In Defense of Classical Ethiopianity and against Ethnocentricity

By Teodros Kiros  (PhD)

Let us use these resources and fight for a new Ethiopia .  What will save us now is our humanity, our Ethiopianity, and the deep bonds of our sameness, and not the divisive ethnicities that the regime in power has boxed us in. We must jump out of these ethnic boxes towards the sunlight of classical Ethiopianity. 

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32 alleged coup plotters charged in Ethiopia

afrol News, 9 June - Ethiopian authorities have charged 32 alleged coup plotters for allegedly planning to assassinate government officials and to disrupt public utilities in the capital Addis Ababa. Local reports have said a group of men who were arrested in April for planning to overthrow the Ethiopian regime and were ordered to stay behind bars in May while prosecution was preparing to lay the charges. Reports further said some of the officers have been brutally tortured by the secret police, while their lawyers are also not allowed to consult their clients including being shut out of court hearing.

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Defenders of TPLF: The Mighty Opportunists
Zewge Fanta Seattle, 2009
Ethiopia cannot be compared to the United States of America in any form or shape. The fact that the regime enacted a law similar to the Patriotic Act of the United States does not mean that the dictators in Ethiopia cannot use it to oppress the people and the Opposition Political Parties. Gizaw has effectively explained the concerns of the Opposition who are the targets of Meles. In America , no person even the President can get away misusing a bill or breaking the law. In America , three independent branches of government maintain the ‘Check and Balance’ of power. In case Mekonnen is not aware of the reality in Ethiopia , the three Independent Government Branches in Ethiopia are Meles, Azeb and Bereket.

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In Search of Peace: Ethiopia’s Ethnic Conflicts and Resolution (For discussion purpose only)

By Messay Kebede

The present policy of the TPLF prevents the emergence of national ambitions and intra-ethnic group competitions by the method of democratic centralism, which protects client parties from competition. Moreover, the principle of balanced power does not command the establishment of federal units. In particular, the two big regions of Amhara and Oromia create a serious imbalance endangering national unity. Wisdom advises the fracturing of these two regions into smaller units as a necessary condition of promoting ethnic cooperation.

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Dead Aid: Why Aid did not help Africa! A Better way without Aid!

Fekadu Bekele 

Moyo sees African governments as passive agents, which accept the advices of the donor community without examining whether the policies work or not. That means African governments are either unwilling or capable to produce their own ideas and implement them. On the other hand why the African elite handle the issues like this is not thematically analysed. As long as we do not know the root causes of such irrational handlings which ruin the continent, it is very difficult to work out a viable development program.

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THE LIBERATION OF ETHIOPIA IS AT HAND
By Tecola W. Hagos

What I find laughable in the answers given by Issayas Afeworki at that interview is the fact that he still thinks he can warm his way back to Ethiopia ’s grace by professing his silly concern about the development of Ethiopia . In the first place, he does not seem to acknowledge the fact that he personally is the cause of the current hateful animosity that started out as a family feud between the people of Ethiopia and Eritrea, he who created a fantasy in order to dismantle a family to satisfy his ego built around the illusional identification with colonial masters—the Italians. We discern similar psychological dwarfism in members of the elite class of most former colonies of European powers all over the World; for example, in some sever cases of self hate and loss of identity, we find ex-colonial subjects claiming that they are “British” or “French” et cetera. Similar trend is developing also in South Africa where you find illiterate poor South Africans identifying with their Apartheid former overlords and insulting even violently attacking Black Africans from other parts of Africa .

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The Need for Paradigm Change - I

By G. E. Gorfu

One serious issue is making sure Ethiopia is free from hunger and poverty. In spite of the many years the government worked hard to eliminate poverty, Ethiopia still seems to be a long way from self sufficiency in food production and is dependent on food aid from abroad. Many farmers have become dependent on imported fertilizers which may be subsidized, but do not seem to solve the problem of low food production. There are those who are advocating the return to traditional farming techniques and crop rotation rather than the dependence on fertilizers. They may have a point, and it may be wise to look at that option seriously. Not everything we copy from the west is good, or to our advantage.

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Ethiopia's new climate of fear

Despite the generosity of donor nations, Ethiopia is ruled by an authoritarian government with virtual impunit   guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 19 May 2009

By David Dadge ,

The European Union, United States and other major donors will pump about $2.5bn (£1.6bn) into Ethiopia this year, a sum that does not even begin to include the cost of medicines, famine relief and countless other services provided by non-profit groups in one of the world's most impoverished countries.

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CURRENT EFFORTS AT CHANGING EPRDF’S IMAGE----THE CART IS FOUND BEFORE THE HORS

By Genet Mersha, April 29, 2009

This brings me back to the subject of the new information management and dissemination technique, about which the government has been consulting media specialists in London. Theoretically, it is aimed at focusing government efforts at improving the regime’s acceptability both at home and abroad. In reality, however, it represents a change of format, but not of content. The regime is under bizarre illusion that its rejection especially by urban dwellers and the educated citizenry mostly is the outcome of its failure to communicate effectively and appropriately its vision and its achievements. It appears that they have not realized the fact there is a difference between propaganda and information.

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Part II: Mental Problem- from the Ethiopian Context
By Fekadu Bekele, Ph.D
April 29, 2009
Some suggest that we Ethiopians do not need such kinds of “rubbish things” like philosophy, because what Ethiopia needs is only a political struggle, and to get rid of the Woyane regime. Such kind of a cry was also common during the late student movement in the 70s, because what was needed that time was to topple down the regime of Emperor Haile Selassie and Colonel Mengistu Hailemariam. We know the consequences of such kind of a political struggle which ended in total anarchy, and bloodshed. The fact that few “heroes” shamelessly focused only on the political power, and forgot the necessity of raising the political and social consciousness of the masses, had produced unnecessary contradictions that culminated in unnecessary war and bloodshed. Those who were eager to seize political power remained at the end in vain. Goethe and Schiller, after they had studied the consequences of the French Revolution distanced from such kinds of adventures and murderous struggle which did not bring anything. According to their views, only when the human mind is changed through proper education one can bring real human civilization. As Schiller and Schopenhauer affirm, nature does not know how to jump. Likewise, societies could not be easily transformed from one stage to the other by revolutionary means or through bloodshed, but only through evolutionary processes.

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Remembering ARTIST/Dr. Telahun Gessese: The Thunderous voice of the King of Ethiopian Music

By Dr. Teodros Kiros

Joy. Laughter. Dance and more dance. Pride and tradition, modernity and Classicism. These are the languages of the Ethiopian youth and some of their
parents on this cold winter night as they jubilantly flood the dance floor.

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Society - East Africa - Ethiopia - Sudan - Diplomacy - Justice

Ethiopia and Omar al-Bashir, henceforth, inseparable Sudanese President expresses appreciation for US President International war crimes suspect and Sudanese President, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, has showed his most determined contempt against the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) warrant for his arrest as he seeks to reinforce his country’s relations on his recent visit to Ethiopia, the first majority Christian country to welcome him since he became an internationally acclaimed wanted man.

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Ethiopian emperor's singer dies

The popular Ethiopian singer, Tilahun Gessesse, has died at the age of 68.

He had been the most dominant figure in Ethiopian music for more than half a century and will receive a state funeral later this week. The country's radio and TV stations broke into their programmes to broadcast tributes. He started singing in the days of the Emperor Haile Selassie, and was for a time the lead singer in his imperial bodyguard band.

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  April 17, 2009

Statement from Arena Tigray for Democracy and Sovereignty Stop Harassments and Intimidations!  

  The worst features of the ruling party are being revealed after the formation and opening of the offices of Arena in these vicinities. In a very short moment harassments and intimidations have become rampant. These cases have been strongly evident in particular in our office in Shire. The following are the harassments and intimidations perpetrated on our party in Shire.

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Mental Problem- a phrase to be clarified!

Fekadu Bekele-

we Ethiopian intellectuals must think about the method of struggle we are using, and our approaches towards foreign forces. Unless we are not ready to change our way of thinking, and the method we are using to liberate Ethiopia , our country will remain poor for a long time; and at the end she will be disintegrated by forces which are working day and night.

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Book Review

A Review of Tesfatsion Medhanie’s Towards Confederation in the Horn of Africa: Focus on Ethiopia and Eritrea.  (Cuvillier Verlag Gottingen , 2009)  By Teodros Kiros, PhD

Medhanie argues that confederation is simply speaking a political good that Ethiopia and Eritrea , as members of the Horn ought to embrace.  Desperate times call for desperate measures even though it has shortcomings, it is helpful to bring suffering people some workable relief leading to more intimate relationships. No doubt, to some Ethiopians and Eritreans, confederation is a desperate measure provoked by a desperate political condition. To others confederation is a vision, a possibility of a political form which could ground an economic partnership among the nations of the horn.

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The G-20 summit- Promises that cannot be translated easily!       April 6, 2009

By Fekadu Bekele (PhD)

The two leaders who represent two strong EU Member countries, feel this time that they have full confidence that history is no more on the side of the Anglo-Americans, and especially the new American administration that is lead by President Barack Obama, will not frustrate the European vision of bringing a workable solution to cope with the present financial and economic crisis. It is no secret that President Barack Obama is attracted by the welfare state model of the European type which is until now proved to be a workable model which could keep social harmony within the western capitalist model. It is believed that the laissez fair model of the Anglo-American type, which is especially accentuated in the 1980s, and propagated world wide as the only viable solution which could bring economic growth to all countries which apply it, become disastrous. The Popes of the free-market ideology are now on the defensive; and they are crying that the state must intervene to curve the economic down turn before it resulted into major depression.

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LET THERE BE LIGHT!
THE GILGEL GIBE SAGA, The BOND & DILEMMA OF
ETHIOPIAN DIASPORA
By Genet Mersha

In the light of this, if a diaspora investor’s motive were to respond to an initiative that would transform Ethiopia ’s future, surely there would be no better opportunity than this, despite citizens’ detestation of the authoritarianism of their government. As an Ethiopian, I strongly believe that GGHEP-III is a vital undertaking for Ethiopia ’s economic future and its social development.

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In Defense of the Ethiopian Coffee Exporters

Seid Hassan, Murray State University

April 4^th, 2009

The problem is that Ato Meles Zenawi does not believe in the market system, despite his many attempts in faking it. Lest people would think that I am making this up, I ask them to look into what he wrote in his so-called upcoming book titled:  “African Development: Dead Ends and New Beginnings.” In fact, I vividly remember well Mr. Zenawi’s interview with the BBC, describing himself as a proponent of the discredited Albanian communism and an extoller of the then Albanian strongman,

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New Book: Ethiopia and The United States - History, Diplomacy and Analysis - By Getachew Metaferia (Ph.D.)

 

 

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Revisiting Ethio-Eritrean issues

March 28, 2009

In brief, his presentation focused on confederation as the framework for the closest relations possible between the two countries. He dwelt at length on the difference between confederation and federation. But even for this confederal union to be realized, there are some prerequisites. They include political changes in both Eritrea and Ethiopia; this means, among other things, that there have to be governments of national unity in both countries. Besides, there are also psychological barriers on the part of Eritreans as well as Ethiopians that have to be addressed. The elites of both countries have a big role to play in this regard. Professor Tesfatsion emphasized that if the peoples of both countries are satisfied with the process of the confederation, they can in the future voluntarily decide in favor of a closer relationship including federation.  

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There is only one Democracy

By Alula Kurabachew  March 28, 2009

True Democracy is founded on the principle of equal opportunity.  Equal opportunity means merit based access to the political, economic, educational and other aspects of life of all citizens, irrespective of political affiliations.  Government officials may assume offices either through election contests or other standards, but, after ascending to the public office, they must be devoid of partisanship outlooks towards citizens.  If they do so, they just represent only a certain group interests, not the interests of the whole society. Such governments lack the capacity and legitimacy to use the standard, the rule of law

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Ethnicity and the Tilting Balance of Ethiopian Politics

By Messay Kebede, March 27, 2009

The crucial issue that remains, however, is the huge task of democratizing the ethnic state, as shown by the dictatorial outcome of the Eritrean secession and the hegemonic practice of the TPLF. To move toward democratization means to raise issues of individual freedom and liberty, of economic development and its equitable distribution; it also means the promotion of national sovereignty and unity on which depend the prosperity and safety of all ethnic groups. All these themes are associated with individual freedom, and so are essentially cross-ethnic. For instance, the right of individuals to elect representatives of their choice is not concerned with the fact of being Amhara, Tigrean, Oromo, Gurage, Christian or Muslim: any multiparty competition within the ethnic regions requires the liberation of freedom as an individual characteristic.

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An abomination called the Government of Saudi Arabia  .

In our World, where rational thinking, wisdom, and compassion is supposed to play a role in the decisions governments make that affects the lives of individuals, we have in the Saudi Government, which is run by degenerates who call themselves Kings and Princes, the most primitive and immoral group of men. I have hereunder reposted three articles dealing with real life cases of human suffering representative of the thousands of cases that reflect the brutality of Saudi official policy, which is truly revolting to any decent human being. I do not see any rational in attacking Saddam in Iraq or the Taliban in Afghanistan when the worst gangs of degenerate, depraved, and violent men, who keep committing the worst crimes mankind had ever confronted in its thousands of years of civilization, are to be found in Saudi Arabia, still fully engaged in their blood curdling crimes against women, immigrant workers, and the conscience of the World in general. I urge the West and all decent Governments to dissolve this abomination and wipe it out from the face of the Earth. TH.   

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Attention: To All Ethiopians!

Richard Cummings is an author, playwright, theorist and critic. He is the author of the comedy Soccer Moms From Hell and the biography of Allard Lowernsein, The Pied Piper - Allard Lowenstein and the Liberal Dream, which discloses Lowenstein's work for the CIA. His one act play Play On Words or the War Will Be Over Soon was selected by Edward Albee's Playwrights Unit to be performed under the direction of John Lithgow and he is an alumnus of The Lark. He is a contributing editor of The American Conservative and a columnist for Lewrockwell.com.[1] He produced and moderated his public service radio program, "Free Speech," and also produced and directed a film on the life and work of the Spanish artist, Esteban Vicente.

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OBAMA AND ETHIOPIA, TIME FOR FRESH THOUGHT, NEW DEPARTURES?

Donald N. Levine Professor Emeritus

(www.eineps.org/forum) on links between Ethiopia’s needs and the promises of an Obama presidency. Now that President Obama is in office, what might we project? What, that is, might it mean to reconsider U.S. relations with Ethiopia in ways that align them with the orientations of an Obama presidency? Eyeing policies the Obama administration has already implemented and earlier statements suggests at least half a dozen aims: 1) employ state-of-the art technologies to advance human welfare; 2) develop energy sources to replace fossil fuels, and in other ways conserve natural environments; 3) link upgraded education and health services with a strengthened economy; 4) avoid sharp polarities of pronouncement and of conduct; 5) curtail terrorist tactics, but in smart ways; and 6) restore moral direction for a market economy and public service from the citizenry. In what follows I explore implications of those principles and priorities for U.S. relations with Ethiopia.

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Press Release  #2:

[Ethiopian Unity Diaspora Forum, INC]

Release Judge Birtukan Mideksa without any Preconditions

The Founding Members of Ethiopian Unity Diaspora Forum (EUDF) demand the immediate and unconditional release of Judge Birtukan Mideksa who was imprisoned as of 29 December 2008 by the Government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.  

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What Senators Didn’t Hear About Somali-American Jihadists  

By Patrick Poole  07/03/2009

Events in Somalia are not so distant. Since this past summer, as many as 40 Somali-American men have left the U.S. to join up with al-Shabaab and train in their terrorist camps in Somalia. And one of those men,  Shirwa Ahmed, a graduate of the University of Minnesota,  launched a suicide attack in northern Somalia on October 28 that killed at least 30 civilians — the first recorded case of an American suicide bomber. And earlier this week it was reported that a federal grand jury has been impaneled to investigate the escalating issue of Somali-American jihadists and Somali terrorist groups operating in the Minneapolis area, which adds to the list of  ongoing investigations in Columbus, OH; Washington, DC; San Diego, CA; Boston, MA; Atlanta, GA; Seattle, WA; and Portland, ME. The problem has concerned investigators to the point that high schools in some of these areas have been briefed by law enforcement to watch out for signs of radicalization among their Somali male students.

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Ethiopian Unity Diaspora Forum Conference
February 28, 2009, Columbus, Ohio
Unity, Hope and Vision: Ethiopia Yesterday and Today and Tomorrow

The Ethiopian Unity Diaspora Forum held its first organizational Conference in Columbus, Ohio on February 28, 2009. Despite their diverse backgrounds, the Participants displayed one common passion—the shared love of the Motherland. The preservation and maintenance of the Sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ethiopia was without question the unifying factor that beckoned the Participants to meet at the first organizational conference of the EUDF. Some of the participants drove hundreds of miles, and all Participants financed their own travel and lodging to participate in this historic Conference.

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PRESS RELEASE:

Ethiopian Unity Diaspora

 Forum Conference

February 28, 2009

Columbus , Ohio  

During our recent national history, we have been subjected to social and political tsunami that has eroded our national pride, and left us with deep wounds of conflicts and divisions. It was also emphasized at the Conference that the Ethiopian people are currently suffering from lack of democracy, rule of law, respect for human rights, and freedom of expression. In this regard, the Participants stressed the necessity of being inclusive as much as possible so that a growing number of Ethiopians of the Diaspora community contribute to the struggle for democracy and individual rights in Ethiopia  

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Prof. Bahru Zewde
Society, state and history Addis Ababa University Press
Review by BT Costantinos, PhD
Bahru as a public intellectual:
Prof Bahru’s recently published “collected essays” -- Society, State and History, segmented into historiography, ethno-history and language, economic history and political economy, intellectual and social history, political and military history, political violence and environmental and urban history, reminds us of the prevailing intellectual movement of the Renaissance - humanism, a philosophical underpinning that humans are rational beings and emphasizing the dignity and worth of the
individual, an emphasis that was central to Renaissance developments in many areas.

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Al-Bashir indicted by the International Criminal Court
March 4, 2009
Sooner or later, the criminal activities of dictatorial leaders usually catch up with them. Finally, the butcher of Darfur, President Omar al-Bashir, is indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity. It would have been within the Genocide Treaty to indict him for “genocide.” The brutality and inhumanity of the Janjaweed and the Sudanese security and military, who were instruments of al-Bashir as the President and Commander of the Sudanese Military Forces, is no different than the brutality and atrocities of Hitler’s SS. Al-Bashir and his brutal Government have betrayed the Sudanese people. First and foremost they are answerable to the Citizens of Sudan. TH

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By Laeke Gebresadik

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Testimonial: Richard and Rita Pankhurst

By Tecola W. Hagos  February 25, 2009

I think such openness and vulnerability is the physical manifestation of the very humane qualities of the entire Pankhurst family including their parents.  It will be very shallow for me even to attempt to list the great contribution of this family of Pankhursts to Ethiopia and Ethiopians. As a scholar, Professor Pankhurst is at the pinnacle of great scholars of Ethiopian history and culture.  As a fellow Ethiopian, I simply cannot think of this family otherwise, he has endured much and has done to help his beloved Ethiopia more than anyone I can think of. And the generosity and dedication of the Pankhursts to Ethiopia and to the well being of Ethiopians has no equal.

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What You should Know!

By Fekadu Bekele

As a development economist you must have some philosophical background. Philosophy is the key to knowledge The more you understand philosophy the more you know yourself If you have a philosophical background your feelings, thinking and actions will have purposes. As a development economist you have to question the purpose of life in this world, and the essence of belonging to a given society. As an educated person you have to understand that you are responsible for your society. What you are doing, especially in the field of economic planning touches every part of the society. In this case your way of thinking and handling must not damage the social fabric of your society.

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EU should not tolerate Ethiopia’s repression

  By Lotte Leicht
18.02.2009 / 12:46 CET

The EU should have condemned one of world’s worst laws on NGOs. Instead, it gave Ethiopia €250 million. On 30 January, European Union policymakers sent a clear signal to Ethiopia: no matter how repressive the government becomes, vast sums of aid will continue to flow. This is emerging as a case study in bad donor policy.

Editor's Note: Lotte Leicht article speaks on very many levels to all kinds of people--political leaders, civic leaders, merchants of poverty, saboteurs, et cetera and such people may have attached different significance to the article. To me I have one single concern: showing compassion to fellow human beings. I ask you all what would you do if you come across a man or a woman or a child on the street dying of hunger. Would you be interested first to know before you give assistance to such a person who caused such condition of deprivation?  It is Exactly what the EU is doing, showing compassion to the helpless who will starve and die otherwise without assistance. That is what must not be overlooked. This reminds me of a Biblical Story of a mother whose child was wrongly claimed by another woman, pleading to a judge (Solomon) who threatened to split the child into two. The false mother agreed to the scheme, but not the real mother who pleaded with the judge to give the child to the other woman, for as a mother she could not bear to see her child or any child split into two. As far as the real mother is concerned, it was far better the child grows in another household than be divided and die as a result of being divided into two. I ask you all, are you the fake mother who insist to have the child divided? Tecola Hagos

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Beware of Most Racist Russian Jews in Israel !

'Ethiopian tenants? Out of the question'

Ugly racism in Ashkelon: R., a real estate agent from Ashkelon, arrived at a building in one of the southern city's neighborhoods recently with a couple of new immigrants, and was shocked to discover that the place has a policy of not selling apartments to Ethiopians. A thorough investigation revealed that this policy is shared by all of the building's tenants, and perhaps the residents of additional buildings in the area as well – most of them of Russian descent. 

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 P R E S S   R E L E A S E   February 16, 2008

 WHICH WAY SOMALIA : CONTINUED ANARCHY OR PEACE?

The withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from Somalia as well as the election of another transitional federal government headed by Sharif sheikh Ahmed should facilitate a unique opportunity for Southern Somalia to embark on a fresh path of peace, stability, democracy and development. However, such a positive development could occur only with a collaborative action by Somali leaders who ought to be more dedicated to the interests of the Somali people than their own narrow objectives of gaining political power at any cost.

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Observation on Ethiopian Political Insanity!

By Haile Desta February 11, 2008

The lack of compatibility between what we like ideally and what we can really accomplish based on the skill and knowledge we possess to make happened the desired result. In other words, we fail to figure out how to move from the old system to a new one while keeping the unity of the country intact. In our past journey, our educated people failed us to come with a bold and visionary response and slacken to look deeply for the secret what makes Ethiopia and what holds Ethiopians together as people for centuries.

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This way Ethiopia: Constitutional Monarchy or Liberal Democracy? 
By Tecola W. Hagos February 9, 2008

Almost all of the literature generated by the students’ movement against the Government of Emperor Haile Selassie did not seem to include scholarly critical discussions of that regime, but was mainly rhetorical and one-sided diatribe against Emperor Haile Selassie and his aristocratic government. The best of such writings may not be more than polemical. Even the gifted economist Eshetu Chole’s writing was polemical. The favorite subjects often discussed in student publications, other than the subject of the corruption of Haile Selassie and the aristocracy, were the huge number of farmers of Ethiopia. The description of the miserable life condition of the Ethiopian peasantry as presented in articles written by student writers was not a social or economic study meant to illuminate the sources of poverty, deprivation, ignorance, lack of hygiene, et cetera of the Ethiopian peasants.

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A Case of Misdirected Zeal
Mitiku Adisu   February 6, 2009

It is in this vein that I would like to engage the current religious situation in Ethiopia. Despite the fact that the Constitution is clear on the separation of Church and State, it has been the case that the State would not leave the Church alone. Even worse, Church and State have continued to thrive, at times, on an unholy and symbiotic relationship. The current government and its predecessor both overreached in appointing the head of th Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Conversely, the Church was not organized or reformed enough [for lack of a fearless and graceful leader] to defend her autonomy, to dispense a bridge-building role or to provide moral guidance to a confused and scattered flock.

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Which way Ethiopia ?

By Messay Kebede   February 6, 2009

To sum up, the debate over the use of violent or nonviolent means becomes serious only if opposition forces are ready to fully implement the resources of each strategy. No doubt, it is easy to argue against armed struggle, but the real issue is to come up with a real alternative, that is, an alternative other than participation in elections, which are not winnable under present conditions. Only when peaceful struggle includes disobedience, so I argue, does it surge as a real alternative to armed struggle. This article is not meant to take a side by supporting or condemning any one strategy. Nor is it intended to tell those who are bravely doing politics under dire conditions or militarily fighting against the regime what they should do. Rather, it is to contribute to the ongoing debate in such a way that Ethiopians have a clear vision of what the alternatives are. Clarity is necessary to decide which alternative can bring change faster and with the least suffering and destruction.

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Letter From Donald N. Levine (dlok@uchicago.edu) Awassa center blazes new way to help youth‏
Keburan'nna keburannent wedajotche hoy!!

The past two years have seen the Youth Campus grow a lot--and now the time has come to expand its impact and provide it a new level of support. The AYC vision is to adapt this exemplary model for enhancing the moral growth and life skills of young people to other venues in Ethiopia–initially Harar, where officials have expressed enthusiasm for creating such a resource as an alternative to the growing khat culture–and also to become proactive in the community to temper gang violence.

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Zimbabwe's MDC plan to extradite Mengistu Haile Mariam to Ethiopia
Martin Fletcher in Harare The Times February 5, 2009  

For 17 years Mengistu Haile Mariam, the former Ethiopian dictator who slaughtered opponents on an industrial scale in the “Red Terror”, has lived in Zimbabwe as the honoured guest of Robert Mugabe, dividing his time between a heavily guarded villa in Harare, a farm near the capital and a retreat on glorious Lake Kariba. 
Last year an Ethiopian court sentenced the “Butcher of Addis” to death after convicting him of genocide in absentia but Mr Mugabe flatly refused to extradite the man who helped to arm Zanu (PF)’s guerrillas during Zimbabwe’s 1970s liberation war,

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Which way Ethiopia : Constitutional Monarchy or Participatory Democracy? An Outline.

By Teodros Kiros  January 29, 2009

Ethiopian history is essentially a history of petty Kingdoms and reigning monarchs, and each monarch in his own way sought to unite the petty kingdoms under a single rule. Emperor Tewodros and Emperor Yohannes were both motivated by the vision of a united Ethiopia under a single monarch. These emperors were at once, Executives, Legislators and Judges. They combined all three functions into one. In addition, they assumed an active leadership of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. 

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Prof. Tecola Hagos's comments on Messay Kebede's latest Book‏
By Wondwossen Hailu January 29, 2009

The generation we are talking about rejected every thing Ethiopian, at least in thought, and tried to immerse itself in foreign culture, which it did not and could not understand. In this vacuum and emptiness, a very simplistic and seemingly logical ideology swept through the student body. It was also attractive because it proclaimed class warfare, satisfying the Oedipus complex urge on one hand, and harking back to the warrior tradition of Ethiopian history on the other. It is fascinating to watch a student wager because he has read or recited a poem, acted a famous leader in Ethiopian history. I am told that Walellign became what he turned out to be after playing the role Tewodros in Dessie theatre when he was a student there.

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A review of Messay Kebede’s Radicalism and Cultural Dislocation in Ethiopia , 1960-1974. ( University of Rochester Press, 2008)

By Teodros Kiros- January 22, 2009

Messay Kebede successfully presents the Ethiopian student movements, whose leaders either have passed away, or are part of the current Ethiopian regime, as a paradigmatic example of a failed student revolution. His mission is to explain the notion of cultural dislocation and how that notion applies to the Ethiopian student movement. 

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Somali executed for 'apostasy' 
An Islamist militia has executed a Somali politician who they accused of betraying his religion by working with non-Muslim Ethiopian forces. An Islamist spokesman in the port of Kismayo told the BBC that Abdirahman Ahmed was shot dead on Thursday. Mr Ahmed was also accused of spying for Ethiopian forces, said to be backing the forces of warlord Barre Hiraale in trying to recapture Kismayo.

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Text of President Barack Obama's inaugural address on Tuesday, as prepared for delivery and released by the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

                                   President Obama 

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

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EDITORIAL: Congratulations, President Barak Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America January 19, 2009
By Tecola W. Hagos

I detected the tell-tell signs of these profound changes in Americans some years back in my students, who were mostly suburbanites from different ethnic background and social standing, that the issue of race discrimination in class discussions was becoming exceedingly hollow and to a degree superficial. And I, prematurely, criticized my students for espousing some form of post-modern philosophical tendencies—of narcissistic self-love. What I failed to recognize was that the young generations of Americans were far ahead of me, very much well adjusted and becoming comfortable in sharing what America offered without any claim of privileged entitlement due to ethnic or race identity. 

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Open Protest Letter to the Parliament of European Union:

Land Locking of Ethiopia and interfering in the Internal Affairs of Ethiopia is unacceptable!

By Tecola W. Hagos  January 18, 2009

The literature is full of instances where parties to a dispute do not agree and the decision of the arbitration commission or tribunal cannot be entered, the right approach had been to fold and declare the process ended without legal effect. All the Commissioners could claim is the payment of their fees. The Commissioners have failed to understand the distinction between an arbitration commission (tribunal) and a court. An arbitration tribunal or Commission is hired by the parties to do certain services, and if the parties failed to comply with instruction of the commission or the tribunal, the process of arbitration comes to an end and the commission cannot proceed as if it is a court setting new terms of arbitration, and new procedures. There is no provision in the arbitration agreement that allows virtual demarcation..

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On 14th January 2008, Ethiopians in the diaspora held a worldwide protest in various cities to request for Freedom and Justice for Ethiopians inside Ethiopia ....................
Pictorial Reportage... Updated 16th Jan

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Standoff Between Toga and Zenawi 
During two successive afternoons, on Dec. 5 and 6, prime minister Meles Zenawi convened 45 ministers and senior civil servants to outline the results of his government at length. During the Dec. 5 session he specifically pointed the 
finger at Teshome Toga, speaker Ethiopia's 
parliament, and accused him of spending the government's money on trips and entertainment instead of fulfilling his functions. The Indian Ocean Newsletter http://ogaden.com/ethnws081009.htm 

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To Messay Kebede: the Center is One Step Closer

By Tecola W. Hagos  January 13, 2009

I do hope this brief critique will generate further discussion on several important issues discussed by Seeye Abraha and also the critical appraisal of that by Messay Kebede. By no means, it should be considered as definitive, but as a starting point. Ethiopia is moving into unfamiliar territories. I greatly admire Messay Kebede—his ideas are always thoughtful and impregnated with possibilities. Seeye Abraha is expanding his horizon on several fronts be it in history, political science, sociology, et cetera. Here is why every Ethiopian should look after every other Ethiopian. The continued use of the term “Woyane” to identify the Government of Meles Zenawi will simply polarize the issues up for discussions. It marks a whole class of people with negative identity. It creates unnecessary resentment and animosity between people further alienating groups from participating in the political life of Ethiopia .   

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To Seye Abraha: the Center Is One Step Further

By Messay Kebede-  January 10, 2009

Seye’s article originates from the clear perception of the impending danger and suggests ideas as to the best way to avert the danger and map out a better future. The danger of national disintegration with its inevitable ethnic clashes clearly shows that national survival is the common good, which survival should, therefore, become the overriding concern of opposition parties. And the only way to ward off the threat is to unite to defeat those who put the country in danger by their stubbornness to remain the sole ruling body.

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THE MORAL AND LEGAL DIMENSIONS OF PRESIDENT BIRTUKAN MIDEKSA’S IMPRISONMENT

 By Teodros Kiros ( PH.D)- January 7, 2009

For Professor Messay Kebede, what is at issue is the moral status of the very idea of asking for pardon, when one is not convinced that one has committed any wrong, in light of the indisputable legal facts that Professors Almayehu G. Mariam and Tecola W. Hagos compellingly presented, with both concluding that President Birtukan did not commit a crime. According to Professor Messay Kebede, the intention then was not that President Birtukan committed a crime and that she must be punished by the rule of law, but that the Dictatorship wanted to humiliate her publicly.

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Open Letter to the Brave Warriors of Ethiopia Returning Home From Somalia

By Tecola W. Hagos   January 5, 2009

Given a chance for me to be anywhere in the world, I would have chosen to be with you in Somalia sharing in the hardship and risk that you endured for the two years period you were deployed in Somalia. There is no greater showing of love of country than fighting and risking ones life in the best interest of ones country and people. You have done that every single day in your mission in Somalia. You brought a degree of stability and stopped a brutal Jihadist insurgency from further damaging and brutalizing the Somali people. You were invited to help by the Somali Government, and as a good neighbor you responded to that appeal for help, for it also served and preserved the integrity and security of Ethiopia.

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Seeye Abraha

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Birtukan or the Appeal of the Heroine

By Messay Kebede-January 4, 2009

My view is that a retraction would have been harmful, not because the Ethiopian opinion would have failed to understand its merits, but because the EPRDF would have accomplished the three mentioned objectives with flying colors. When the now defunct Kinijit leaders were released from prison following the so-called presidential pardon, I wrote that the purpose of the whole drama of pardoning them after the court’s guilty verdict was to humiliate them. The intent to humiliate is not only a personal vendetta; it has a clear political goal as well. It creates a pernicious fissure between the people and its would-be leaders on the ground that leaders, who are not ready to sacrifice their comfort and even their life, if necessary, do not deserve to be leaders. The purpose of humiliation is to demean would-be leaders in front of the people they claim to defend

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Freedom for Judge Bertukan Mideksa: Ethiopia ’s Hypatia*

By Tecola W. Hagos- My understanding of Bertukan’s statement is that she was making a legal distinction between constitutionally supported processes using established statutory procedures vs. ad hoc improvised process that does not confirm to the procedure that was in use at the time. It so happened as jurist of considerable expertise Bertukan was correct in her legal analysis of the hierarchies of laws and regulations and practices when she commented on the pardon procedure leading up to the release of the leadership of Kinijit and herself.

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Related press coverage from Reporter

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WE MUST RESIST THE IMPRISONMENT OF OUR LEADERS BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY

By Teodros Kiros (PhD)   Dec 29, 2008

My concern goes deeper, to the marrow of the bones. If our leaders, who are peacefully organizing the people to demand change cannot exercise that right, what rights are then allowed them by the constitution? Should not the rights of the people who are coming in record numbers to listen to their leaders, count for something, or is the democracy that the regime never fails to mention, a democracy that listen only to those who sing its praises?

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PRESS RELEASE
ANDINET NORTH AMERICA ASSOCIATION OF SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS

Call for Immediate and Unconditional Release of Judge Birtukan Mediksa: Chairwoman of the main opposition party (UDJP) in Ethiopia
Press Release
December 29, 2008
We just learned that Mrs. Bitrukan Medekasa has been arrested and taken to prison by Ethiopian security forces from her party’s headquarter. Her colleague, Professor Mesfin Woldemariam and her driver who were with her at the time were physically assaulted by the security officers. It is reported that the elder Professor Mesfin is taken to  the hospital.

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"Clash of Civilizations" author Samuel Huntington dies

Sat Dec 27, 3:58 PM EST

Political scientist Samuel Huntington, whose controversial book "The Clash of Civilizations" predicted conflict between the West and the Islamic world, has died at age 81, Harvard University said on Saturday.

Huntington, who taught for 58 years at Harvard before retiring in 2007, died Wednesday at a nursing facility in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, the university said on its website. In his 1996 "The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order," which expanded on his 1993 article in Foreign Affairs magazine, Huntington divided the world into rival civilizations based mainly on religious traditions such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Confucianism and said competition and conflict among them was inevitable.

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Black Utopias: A Re-evaluation

By Teodros Kiros  December 23, 2008

Change begins with the self, and then it is shared with other selves. The African-American middle class needs to penetrate this history and heal itself. A people must know its history. That is what Du Bois advocated in his time, and it is what we need now. With Africa as background and foreground, Du Bois created an original historical and existential philosophy of race

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This link may serve as a conclusion on the case of Midroc vs. the Reporter, which you had posted on your site a few weeks back. I admire the journalistic courage of the good citizens at Reporter who have began to bring the dark side of this Tycoon to light. 
Tafere

http://www.ethiopianreporter.com/content/view/3694/54/

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Sad news, the death of Dejazmatch Zewde Gebreslassie. Source: Reporter

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PART ONE AND PART TWO  

BOOK REVIEW AND COMMENTARY

Messay Kebede,* RADICALISM AND CULTURAL DISLOCATION IN ETHIOPIA , 1960 – 1974, Rochester , NY : Rochester University Press, 2008. [PP 235] [US $75]

By Tecola W. Hagos [December 13, 2008]

As I stated above, Messay seems to have changed his mind in the sense of crystallizing his thoughts on ethnicism. And I take his latest statement in his book to be his conclusion and final stand on issues dealing with individual rights versus ethnicity. In his recent book, Messay stated in one of his most eloquent statements that ethnicity maybe considered as a passing phenomenon that wrecked havoc in the struggle for self-realization and individual freedoms by “educated elite” Ethiopians, and the future of Ethiopia is dependent on internalization of “universal” principles and not mincing in a highly relativistic and parochial manner, in the name of ethnicity, what should be a commonly (universally) shared freedoms and rights. Better still, let us read him in his own monumental words. More importantly, Messay’s treatment of the subject of “ethnicism” or “ethnicity” in his book was scholarly and objective and not parochial. To begin with, as a good scholar he took himself out of the equation completely i.e., he neither promoted nor defended his own ethnic origin. When I mentioned to a friend that I was buying Messay’s book, my friend told me that Messay is rumored to “hate” Tigrians and that he was an Oromo narrow ethnicist. I challenged my friend on those allegations, for I had read most of Messay’s writings and did not see anything overtly or secretly hateful or narrow reflection of ethnicism. Having read this book, I can say without any hesitation that neither allegation is true.

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BOOK REVIEW AND COMMENTARY

Messay Kebede,* RADICALISM AND CULTURAL DISLOCATION IN ETHIOPIA , 1960 – 1974, Rochester , NY : Rochester University Press, 2008. [PP 235] [US $75]

By Tecola W. Hagos

Let us consider Messay’s most poignant and probably his most controversial categorical assertion that the Ethiopian student movement was not a result of economic deprivation and social class antagonism extant in Ethiopia , but a consequence of the alienation of Ethiopian students from their own culture, tradition, and religion. He asserted in several of the Chapters of his book that Ethiopian students were isolated in a bubble of their schools, and were uprooted and alienated from society. In other words, Messay seems to believe that Ethiopian schools (from grade school to university colleges) functioned as insulations against the very society students were supposed to learn from progressively both technical and social skills that would have helped their integration and absorption as useful members of the community.

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Notes On The Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia

Teodros Kiros (PhD)  DEC 6, 2008

I have decided to wrap myself with this reflective statement and declare that I am proud to be part of The Solidarity movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE), a grassroots movement that elevates humanity above ethnicity, love about hate, compassion above greed, and commitment above indifference. 

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Alamudi not paying 20 million Bir for land rent

Reporter

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In celebration of Ethiopian Youth: Work in Progress

By Teodros Kiros (PhD)  November 24, 2008

It is the fearless youth who environed the musical genius to Teddy Afro, at the infamous Ethiopian millennium. Blessed by the billions of stars that graced the night at the people’s stadium, where Teddy refused to take orders from the rich and powerful who wanted to sing for them at the Sheraton, and chose the stadium instead, Ethiopian youth risked their lives and came to listen to the justly famous, song, “Altseralegnem”, in which the prevailing regime was indicted and found guilty for not delivering, for not changing, for not saying, “We can”.

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POLITICS-ETHIOPIA:
Disappointed But Not Defeated
Michael Chebsi

Credit: Michael Chebsi/IPS Asfaw is determined that her new political party will not repeat previous mistakes.

ADDIS ABABA, Nov 20 (IPS) - She fought alongside men in the Ethiopian liberation struggle. She fought for a free and fair society. But today, Yewubmar Asfaw feels that Ethiopia's revolution has failed to deliver a fair share of political power to women.

In her book, published this year in Amharic, Asfaw, 52, describes how the liberation groups marginalised women fighters during the struggle and after the fall of the military regime in 1991.

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What Barack Obama means to African politics 
By Teodros Kiros (Ph.D)   November 19, 2008

My vision of what Obama would say is based on my hope of what he might say, and what his administration might want to adopt as a genuine Africa centered foreign policy, based on a dispassionate analyses of the failed Bush policy. In the absence of a comprehensive Africa centered foreign policy, I can only present what Obama could say by consulting African experts who understand the needs of the continent. My own take focuses on the needs the Ethiopia, which I know the most. 

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Eritrean rebels claim killing 285 government troops 
Monday 17 November 2008.Source Sudan Tribune
By Tesfa-alem Tekle 
November 16, 2008 (MEKELLE) – An Eritrean rebel group, The Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization (RSADO) claimed killing over two hundred government troops during an attack carried last week against a military training center inside the country. The Red Sea Afar Democratic Organization (RSADO) on Sunday said that its fighters have killed at least 285 Eritrean military officers including top military leaders in what it called was the most devastating assault taken earlier this week at a military training base in the remote central Denkelliya region of Afambo local area.

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The Abominable Saudi Government's Brutal "Justice" Against A Doctor Egyptians decry doctor's sentence of 1,500 lashes Egyptians decry doctor's sentence of 1,500 lashes in Saudi Arabia SALAH NASRAWI Associated Press Writer
AP Nov. 12, 2008

Raouf Amin el-Arabi, a doctor who has been serving the Saudi royal family for about 20 years, was convicted last year of giving a patient the wrong medication. Egyptian newspapers reported that he was accused of driving a Saudi princess "to addiction."

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Arms race, uneasy peace in Sudan

By Heba Aly | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor from the November 12, 2008 edition
In the south, the parliament voted to double its budget to cover military spending, and the north spent 20 percent of its budget on the military."Even if Khartoum has no interest or intention of going to war, it has every incentive to maintain a credible threat of war to ensure that Juba will choose unity in the referendum. Likewise, even if Juba has nothing to gain from conflict, it must make conflict as costly as possible for Khartoum to prefer peace over war if peaceful partition is to be a real strategic option for Juba."

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The President and the Strategic manager of Andinet in London
Posted 12th November 2008

The conditions are still live and breathing to date. If the regime and Electoral Commission meet those demands, Andinet would take part in the election. Otherwise, they would be their escort. They would fight for justice. This point had been the position of the two delegate members, W/t Birtukan and Ato Akilu.

Listen to the audio of the UDJ meeting in London 9/11/2008
Part.1    Part.2

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Two Machiavellis 
By Teodros Kiros (PH.D)  November 11, 2008

Politics, argued Machiavelli, cannot be anchored on moral goodness-that is too utopian, but rather on virtu (flexible disposition) and Fortuna (luck). Both concepts are crucial for the understanding of the distinctly political. Virtu produces appropriate political action swiftly, intelligently and courageously; Fortuna projects ample opportunities that favor the moves of Virtu. Both Virtu and Fortuna work in concert to move the people from passivity towards social movements that aim at changing their lives and increase their freedoms by creating power and counter the tyrannies of an oppressive regime.

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Lij Michael Imru (1929-2008)
Addis Journal-

News of his death has come on Monday [27 October 2008). Lij Michael Imru, who died at the age of 79, had been in and out of intensive care for several months here in Ethiopia, Thailand and the USA. The former prime minister might have been absent from the public and the media for some
time. But his long career had been anything but obscure. Born into prominent parents, Imru moved to Jerusalem during the Italian occupation. 

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Response to MFA post in Aiga Forum, November 1, 2008: 
"The US Presidential election and anti-Ethiopian lobbying"
Donald N. Levine   University of Chicago

As everyone who followed president-elect Obama's discourse realizes, what he stands for is precisely open dialogue, not combativeness. The latter was the approach of retiring president Bush who declared in January 2000, well before he won the Republican nomination: "When I was coming up, it was a dangerous world. . . It was us vs. them, and it was clear who them was. Today, we are not so sure who the they are, but we know they're there."

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The People’s Machiavelli. 

By Teodros Kiros (PhD)   November 9, 2008

On the latent reading, it the people who matter; it is the people who make laws, although, given their sheer number, they cannot execute the laws that they could legislate, by choosing organic leaders who represent their interests. Moreover, since stability was so important to Machiavelli, he could not imaging a stable republic that is not loved by the people, and in order to love the order, the people must create it, the people must participate in the creation of power in concert with the right sovereign, who governs democratically and not tyrannically, since tyranny is the way of beasts and democracy is the way of the enlightened, the way of moral leaders.

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Announcing A New Book
Messay Kebede, Radicalism and Cultural Dislocation in Ethiopia, 1960-1974. Published by the University of Rochester Press, 2008.
The book focuses on the prime agent of the revolutionary upheaval that derailed the course of Ethiopia’s modernization, namely, the Ethiopian student movement. Most remarkable about the movement was that a great number of Ethiopian students and intellectuals had espoused the most dogmatic version of Marxism-Leninist ideology, with the consequence that they had become a highly polarizing force. And as John Henrik Clarke puts it, “When a  people are not too sure about who they are loyal to and what their commitments are, they represent a danger within the cultural mainstream of their society.”

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THE RECENT TPLF FUNDRAISING AND THE DIASPORA’S FOUL PLAY OCTOBER 31, 2008

Professor Seid Hassan- Murray State University

Due to the vicious nature of this show, many of the Ethiopian Diaspora community have come to think that such a discourse is inherent in those who come from the same region, Tigrai. Such utterances of unflattering words against our Tigrain compatriots indicate that some of the

members of the Diaspora community have indeed succumbed to the ploy that the TPLF planted for them. One cannot even escape the thought that a minority group could have seized this opportunity to advance their own parochial interests. Some of these folks could be those who want to continuelecturing us that the struggle is between Tigrians and the non-Tigrians.

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THE WORLD REACTS TO OBAMA'S VICTORY

Global Leaders Hope for American Cooperation

Many in the world were frustrated by America's go-it-alone tendencies under President George W. Bush. Congratulatory messages have poured in for his successor Barack Obama -- and many leaders have cited a wish to work more closely together with the US. It didn't take long for the congratulatory telegrams and telephone calls to begin pouring in. Almost immediately after the polls closed on the West coast, world leaders began contacting US President-elect Barack Obama to offer their support and backing as he approaches a daunting list of hotspots and problems that urgently need attention. Mostly, though, the world simply wanted to congratulate America's new leader.

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The Barbarism of Somali Jihadist "Liberators"
Militants stone to death Somali rape victim, 13 
Amnesty: Stadium packed with 1,000 spectators watched horrific slaying 

Initial local media reports said Duhulow was 23, but her father told Amnesty International she was 13. Some of the Somali journalists who first reported the killing later told Amnesty International that they had reported she was 23 based upon her physical appearance.

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No Hiding Place in the USA for Murderers and Torturers in Foreign Countries  November 1, 2008
Ex-Liberian is convicted of torturing-

A federal jury in Miami convicted the son of onetime Liberian leader Charles Taylor yesterday in the first test of an American law that gives prosecutors the power to bring charges for acts of torture committed in foreign lands.

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A woman accused of adultery has been stoned to death by Islamists in Somalia. Source : SKY News, UK / October 28, 2008
Representative Donald Payne, the unofficial agent of the Eritrean Government, is still writing garbage [See his Press Release of 23 October 2008] about human rights abuses in Ethiopia, while the real issue of human rights abuse is in Somalia perpetrated by the Jihadist terrorists who are now in control of Kismayu. See the article below. TH

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The Crisis of a Democratic Civic Culture as an Impediment to Democratic Development in Ethiopia: A Point of View

By Tesfaye Habisso -October 28, 2008

Finally, the struggle for democracy, human rights and the rule of law and market economy is bound to take a long time before it takes root and bear fruits, as these ‘values’ are still the hardest thing to import and to modify. We can learn new techniques or acquire new knowledge, but it is notoriously difficult to adopt a behavior that is based on values that are foreign to one’s society. Societies’ fundamental values evolve gradually, and the introduction of new values is always faced by traditional reflexive reactions. Furthermore, this struggle should not be conceived only in terms of a struggle over the distribution of wealth, power and private accumulation but also the creation of commonwealth by mobilizing all sections of the population beyond ethnic, religious, political, etc. divides in order to improve the living standards of the majority of the population, to enlarge the ‘national pie’ that we all must share equitably, so speak.

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The free radical

By Tafere Hailemariam- October 26, 2008

Due to the nature of our diverse ethnic upbringing and ideological background, which is full of mistrust, there are hidden motives as there are genuine intentions in the way we express our opinion in the context of Ethiopian politics. For this reason, we all tend to entertain divergent views simply because of the way we think differently from each other - which is logical. If all people could think in an identical fashion, wouldn’t life be boring? Nevertheless, as for my case, a sincere intention stemming from the love of my country is the sole driving force behind my urge to express my humble opinion as a show of solidarity and I don’t write for fame nor is hate in my vocabulary. 

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Obama Will Be One of The Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents

Obama is one of the most intelligent presidential aspirants to ever step forward in American history. The likes of his intellectual capabilities have not been surpassed in public life since the Founding Fathers put pen to paper. His personal character is also solid gold. Take heart, America: we have the leader for our times. I say this as a white, former life-long Republican. I say this as the proud father of a Marine. I say this as just another American watching his pension evaporate along with the stock market! I speak as someone who knows it's time to forget party loyalty, ideology and pride and put the country first. I say this as someone happy to be called a fool for going out on a limb and declaring that, 1) Obama will win, and 2) he is going to be amongst the greatest of American presidents.

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A Note to Ethiopian Writers October 16, 2008

By Teodros Kiros (Ph.D)-Readers deserve to read articles that educate the public on matters of life and death of the average Ethiopian. Editors of websites should not specialize in singling out very able writers, who insist on attacking the regime every singly week, when the precious time of the reader should be spent more on writing short, sharp and readable articles on the Ethiopian crisis that goes beyond the politics of the current leadership, and focus on famine, poverty, freedom, social movements and much more, reflecting the depth of the Ethiopian crisis and the hidden pains of the alienated Ethiopian public.

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Rights group condemns Saudi beheadings
Saudi Arabia beheaded two men Tuesday, the latest state-sanctioned killings in a country where use of the death penalty has risen sharply in recent years and a disproportionate number of those executed are foreigners, a rights group said. The executions were announced by the Saudi Interior Ministry. They bring the total number of people beheaded in the kingdom this year to 72, according to an Associated Press count.

 

PRESS RELEASE Ethiopianamerican  
October 11, 2008
THE QUESTION OF ASSAB AND THE ALGIERS AGREEMENT AND THE ISSUE OF TERRORISM IN THE HORN OF AFRICA.

There is no basis for someone to claim that the Eritrean case is a
colonial question since Ethiopia cannot colonize part of its own territory i.e. Eritrea. Besides, there are historical and economic factors among other things, that characterizes colonialism as in the case of European colonizers and their former colonies. For instance, Europeans were by far more advanced in economic development relatively compared to
their former colonies. In that regard, Eritrea was actually more developed, especially in the industrial sector than the rest of Ethiopia. We could have discussed other factors to show that the Eritrean case is truly a national question instead of a colonial question.

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ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (CNN) -- At age 19, Yohannes Gebregeorgis borrowed a soft-cover romance novel entitled "Love Kitten" that changed his life forever. Born in rural Ethiopia to an illiterate cattle merchant who insisted upon his son's education, Gebregeorgis had seen a few books in school. But it was the experience of having a book of his own that sparked a lifelong commitment. Today, at 56, Gebregeorgis is establishing libraries and literacy programs to connect Ethiopian children with books. Vote for Yohannes, one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes for 2008 VIDEO

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Editor’s Note: Thank you Senator Brownback for your statesmanlike stand in recognition of the difficulty facing the people of Ethiopia in a highly volatile region while carrying out their international responsibilities. Thank you for not being a fair-weather-friend and for upholding the principles of mutual respect, comity, and friendly relations among states. Thank you for respecting the Sovereign dignity and worth of the truly ancient people of Ethiopia. God Bless Ethiopia and all her Friends; God Bless the People of the United States. TH

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD: SENATE, PAGE S10466, Oct. 2, 2008
Senator Brownback made a powerful statement in the Senate
supporting Ethiopia.