A Reflection on the Ethiopian Diaspora’s Diplomacy in the United States
By Yared Tibebu*
Dec 15, 2005 — During the US Deputy Secretary of State for Africa, Donald Yamamoto’s visit to Ethiopia, I read two interesting news items on the TPLF owned Walta web page. The first item was that, that Wednesday Mr.Yamamoto was expected to meet with Meles and the second one that his Foreign Minister, Seyoum Mesfin, is meeting with his counterpart in Beijing China on the same day. I inquired from my sources back home as to the meaning of this parallel diplomacy. Reliable sources told me that Meles and Seyoum are not in talking terms these days, and that Tekeda is more favored by the PM, and as a result Seyoum asked for permission to take his spouse to China for needed medical treatment. It is also believed that Meles did not want Seyoum to meet with the US Deputy Secretary, and allowed the medical trip. This helped him to kill two birds with one stone. Another reliable source also confirmed this through Sebhat Nega’s insulting remarks against Seyoum in the bars. Sebhat was heard referring to Seyoum as that “TEKAL AGAME”, and a rendition to Seyoum’s birth place as “NKEBDOM ZIMOTU ASHAS”. What ever the meaning, it seems to be a term used to refer to Ethiopian citizens from the Agame district that made wealth in Asmara, and whom TPLF believes worked as sympathizers and informants to the Dergue regime to defend their economic interest, during the long liberation struggle of the Eritreans. It is common within the TPLF leadership rank to refer to the residents of Agame with disdain and hate.
To my understanding, by sending Seyoum to China, Meles had in mind two objectives. The first is not to show any sign of division within the status quo, so that Yamamoto will not be able to detect and read the animosities when he meets with Seyoum in Addis. But even the larger objective is to signal the Americans that he can go the Al-Beshir way, and Mugabe’s route and abandon the West altogether in case of any pressure from the West. Meles knows that the US resents its policy of isolating the Sudan, and the outcome of it being a state that gets protection from China. It helps to know that “China imports 28 percent of its oil from Africa, … and 7 percent of it from Sudan”. One foreign policy study found that “in Ethiopia, Chinese companies bid aggressively on infrastructure projects. The head of one Chinese company admitted to a South African reporter that his orders from Beijing were to bid low, regardless of the impact of profitability.” Even though Meles is not sure that China could under-write a large check to cover his budgetary needs, he plays with the idea of China’s interest to prospect oil in the Gambela region, and its interest to control the Nubian Triangle. It is common for Meles and his cronies to refer to China as “its most reliable partner”. This in part explains why the diplomatic efforts of the Ethiopian Diaspora in the US, does not seem to have earned any mileage despite continuous and widespread activities.
I sincerely believe we should concentrate on things that are within our control rather than pleading and begging the United States to do the job for us. Let us take control of our lives and the destiny of our country into our hands. The US has its own national interest and for some reason our quest for democracy is deemed as not being congruent with the United State’s national interest. We have fooled ourselves for a long time, thinking that the US will come to our rescue, and save our beloved Ethiopia from destruction and mayhem. For fourteen long years, we have candle light vigiled, cried and shouted on the “ear of the elephant”. But from year to year, the support of the US to Meles’ regime has grown by leaps and bounds.
Meles himself has sharpened his skill at playing the game. The biggest hurdle for him was that there was no counter balance to the hegemony of the United States. Thanks for China, at least in Africa, that gap is being filled. In its bid for raw materials, specifically for the high quality sulfur-free sweet oil of Africa, and other raw materials, China has effectively stood against US hegemony in Africa. As a result, Sudan, despite reports of large scale killings in Darfur region, is still embargo-free, due to China’s veto power threat in the UN Security Council. China effectively defended Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, when his honey-moon with the West ended after he distributed white owned colonial land to the African poor. Not only from this, Meles has learnt his lesson from Mauritania’s anti-terrorist alliance with the West, where the deposed Prime Minister effectively used that very alliance to mayhem and kill his opponents, by garnering support from the alliance and by masking and labeling his victims as Islamist terrorists.
Meles’ China card to pacify the US demand for improving its human right record, and the US-East Africa Counter Terror Initiative fund to nib democracy at its bud has worked against the interest of Ethiopia’s rise to join the aspirations of the democratic world. As I write this article, fifty thousand land lines, sixty thousand cell phones are listened to and transcribed by advanced electronics equipment supplied by the US for the Anti-terrorist project. In addition all emails with an attachment are being opened and read. Close to 100 million dollars is ear-marked for the East African Anti-Terrorist program, and Meles is effectively using the fund to muzzle any opposition to his regime. It is not uncommon for State Department personnel to tell Ethiopian opposition groups, that US foreign policy for East Africa is not handled by the “Doves” in the State Department but by the “Hawks” at the Pentagon. And this despite warnings of “initiatives fail to consider how to mitigate risk that host governments will be tempted to use the relationship that develops from an emergency security alliance with the United States as an excuse for egregious misrule.”
The United States’ message to Ethiopia and its people is clear. It is “Read my leaps, no more democracy!” Ethiopians in the US have repeatedly gone in front of the State Department, the Congress, and the White House to plead with the leaders of the “Free World” to abide by their inauguration day speeches. What they haven’t understood is that, that inauguration message was not meant for Black Africa. In the eyes of these leaders we are a sub-human people who deserve a sub-human democracy. They are telling us that their national interest comes first. We are told by all pundits who claim to be authorities on Africa and Ethiopia, from Herman Cohen down to Afe Negus Paul Henze, that United States’ Anti-terrorist interest outweighs Ethiopia’s interest for good-governance and human rights. What is baffling is they expect us to buy this racist attitude and shy away from our historic duty.
Knowing America for what it is, I am not irritated when it comes from the likes of Paul Henze. What I found unacceptable is such a racist policy is spear headed by a state department which for the first time in US history is led by Condoleezza Rice, an African- American woman. Not only the Secretary, but also the Assistant, Jendayi Frazer, who is head for African Affairs is also an African-American woman. How come they cannot see, what that angel from European Union, Anna Gomez, has seen? Why did they fail to see her truth? Why did they subject themselves to the racist view, which is clearly written in black and white over the walls of US-Ethiopian policy, a view that reads “SUB-STANDARD DEMOCRACY FOR SUB-HUMANS”?
How come on the watch of the first African-American woman Secretary of State, such a shameful act is perpetrated against a people who lined up with empty stomachs for ten hours to cast their vote for change? Where in the world such vigor and interest has been displayed for a peaceful transition of power? Where? 90 % turnout of eligible voters at a time when the ruling party favors the reverse is unheard of. Only Ethiopians could pull such tricks on the world. We did it in 1896, against all adversities, despite gaps in armament technology, and despite international support to the aggressor, at the battle of Adowa, and we did it after 109 years at the battle of good governance against a tyrant from Adowa. On both occasions, in the corridors of world power, only few were amazed by Ethiopia’s accomplishment. 109 years ago by an honest European reporter and today by an honest European Parliamentarian. And we learnt our lesson then, and we have no choice but to do it again now.
We have to show to the United States and the world that we are not disposables and sub-humans. We have to tell the world that we deserve better, not through candle-light vigils and well crafted letters of educated “house niggers”. We ought to call a spade a spade, and we have to “bombard the head quarter” of racism and reaction, not with Molotov cocktails, but bombard it with the act that springs from deep within us, from the source of our conscience. If we deserve better, we have to start to treat ourselves better. If we feel helpless and act as defenseless beggars, then we ought to know that we will be treated as such. “Honor thy self” is the Ethiopian voice that has passed through the ages all the way to our time. We cannot bequeath this torch when it reaches our hand. Let us rise to the occasion.
Let us call the foreign policy of the United States towards Ethiopia for what it is. It is racist. It doesn’t measure up with the aspirations of the Ethiopian people, and it has to be rejected. The Ethiopian people have voted for good governance, human rights, and the rule of law; and what they got in return after May 15 is mayhem and torture by the assassins in power, and sub-human response by the Western allies of the government. Let us tell them clearly that their response doesn’t measure up with the reality on the ground. Let us wage an offensive diplomacy on the Western allies of the government, and show our opposition to the potential ally of the assassin, the government of the Peoples’ Republic of China, not to play with fire. Let us send China a clear message, that abetting and assisting murderers now will have far reaching consequences in its future African interests. Yes, china will listen to us, since it has a stake in Africa’s future. “Chinese trade with Africa has risen sharply from $10 billion in 2003 to $20 billion in 2004, and another 50 percent increase is expected in 2005.” A country with such huge commercial interest cannot ignore our calls if we make it known with all our energy and passion. By forcing the Chinese not to ally with a dying power, we can push our leverage to demand from the United States, that they cannot compromise on the aspiration of the Ethiopian people, fearing that China will take their place if the assassin changes camp. Friends, this is a winning strategy.
But we cannot limit ourselves to the diplomatic offensive alone. We have to show the world, to what extent we are willing to go, towards the realization of our peoples’ aspiration for human right, good governance and the rule of law. Let us embark on building the most amazing network the world has ever seen. Let us learn from our “cousins” in Israel on how to transform a helpless Diaspora into a respected world citizen. Let us dedicate our life to the cause. Let us work day and night for the realization of our dreams, and the dreams of our parents, brothers, and sisters, those who have stood for ten long hours to cast their vote for change. Let us raise the funds that could raise a new constitutional army from the ground, an army which has no political program except being a guard for the constitution, a constitution that emanates from the deep conscience of the Ethiopian people, and not written to massage the deep pockets of the West, a constitution crafted to handle the political realities on the ground. A constitution by the people, of the people, and for the people, only then can we sing the Negro anthem “We are free at last, God Almighty we are free at last”!!!!
* Yared Tibebu is an Ethiopian based in the USA, he can be reached at [email protected]