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War on terror = support for abusive African regimes?

Ethan Zuckerman writes a persuasive critique of US State Department support for Ethiopian aggression in Eritrea in this posting.

Some forces in the US appear to be trying to soften the ground for US support for Ethiopian aggression in Eritrea. A remarkable op-ed appeared in the New York Times last week, authored by Vicki Huddleston and Tibor Nagy, both former chiefs of mission at the US Embassy in Addis. It’s a direct reaction to a resolution passed by the US House of Representatives which ties continued aid to Ethiopia to improvements in human rights. Critiquing that resolution, Nagy and Huddleston characterize Ethiopia as “a nation where 77 million Orthodox Christians and Muslims live in peace, engaged in building a democracy while besieged from within and without by enemies of democracy,” and suggests that the US “should press both governments to let people who live on the border help reach a mutual agreement on the final boundary.” Uh, that final boundary was determined by binding arbitration five years ago, an arbitration which Eritrea (understandably) is demanding be honored.

Zuckerman is particularly critical of Dr. Jendayi Frazer (assistant secretary of state for African affairs) for support of the repressive Ethiopian regime–a support that extends from their support for the ‘war on terror’ in Somalia.

This critique brings to mind a lunch conversation I had last week with the leader of an advocacy group for northern Uganda. When President Museveni of Uganda met two weeks ago with President Bush, Frazer, and black congressional leaders, not one hard question was asked about peace and development in the north. Perhaps not coincidentally, Uganda is the sole nation other than Ethiopia providing troop support in Somalia.

One Response

  1. just like anti-communism justified support to Mobutu or post-1980 Syad Barre..

    or alternatively, why do most documentaries on blood diamonds insert an al-qaeda connection segment ?
    arent they bad by themselves ?

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