Prospectiv A-z

April 18 

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Lectii africane

Harry Verhoeven | Why Ethiopia Is Africa's Next Hegemon | Foreign Affairs

In 1991, as the Cold War drew to an end, the only African country that had never been colonized by European imperialists was but a pale reflection of the Great...

FOREIGNAFFAIRS.COM

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  Prospectiv A-z .
  
  ተስፋዬ • 4 days ago
  Dear Harry,
  Well-written but bookish and sanitized. Can you show the reader one instance when in our history the idea of "Greater Ethiopia" was not sold to the public? May be your history is a bit deficient; could you please review and report to your readers what Tewodros's and Derg's themes were? It seems your mind is already made up on the content of your present article; the selection of pictures says it all [a hydro-dam, a bumper crop, a wind turbine, and regional/continental leadership]. Now the growth being witnessed is real and very impressive. The issue is that it is top-down and little participation from the public [especially those who challenge the Party line]. Bring in deepening corruption [16 billions illicitly shipped out in a decade; check recent news of personal accounts at HSBC], which group owns what, expanding jail system, dysfunctional and politicized court system, crumbling education system, unemployment and outmigration [a million majority young women in a decade to the Middle East alone], continental hub for prostitution and stamping out of rights constitutionally granted you have a different beast. I take it you have come across EFFORT [unaudited in 23 years, with funds in billions; really a state within a State]. In other words, if you piece it all together you will be forced to re-title your piece above. It is not that I am looking at glass half-empty and you at half-full; you need to check BTI [2014] Report, Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, etc.
  
  Even with growing economic activity one observes three items across the continent a/ failure to be inclusive b/ multinationals having a heyday c/ exploiting fears of the West [of non-state actors] and stealing money and abusing the citizenry. I suggest that you go to Ethiopia and witness for yourself how people actually live. Try visiting agri-businesses in Gambella, Addis Ababa at night, Tigray and then talk with researchers at Addis Ababa University and randomly with ordinary citizens.
  
  Henock Melkamu • 4 days ago
  Without economic power , there is no hegemony. At the imperial times, coffee was the main export. Still is.Our export size isn't comparable to Uganda that have less than half of our population. Our industry share of the GDP is the same since the imperial times. The main refugees of Eastern Africa are Ethiopians and Eritreans. Why don't we see the Sudanese people flocking to Ethiopia for better opportunities than the other way round? This is a mockery on the Ethiopian people.
  I am ashamed for the author. It looks like a cut and paste from the ruling minority junta "election" manifesto. There are a lot of factual errors. For example, there is only one opposition seat in the parliament out of 538 seats.Foreign Affairs , you can do better!!!
  
  Yoftahe rohas • 4 days ago
  Does the author know about corruption in Ethiopia ?
  
  Please let the government publish its own paid advertisment. Do not bring down Foreign Affairs to a level of a government publication in Addis Ababa !
  
  Ethiopia stands 110th out off 176 countries observed in 2014 ,scoring 33 points
  https://www.transparency.org/c...
  (The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. A country or territory’s score indicates the perceived level of public sector corruption on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).)
  
  Every important sector of the economy is fully controlled by TPLF. There are no institutions in the country challenging the ruling party. Would the author choose to live in such a state?
  
  Does the author know about the political prisoners in
  
  Ethiopia ? As a typical foreigner he does not understand the complex situation in Ethiopia. He can not see that Woyane is a divisive factor. It can not be a nation builder while being a narrow ethnic political group alienated from the public. Has the author not observed how African
  
  dictators failed within weeks despite big infrastructure projects ? Does he know about the genocide in Gambella and Ogaden ? Does he
  
  know about the displaced farmers who lost their land to foreign investors ?
  
  Ethiopians do not want to be like China or North Korea.
  They are people who value their freedom. They do not want to live in a police state. It is love of freedom that created America that we know today. The founding father did not want to live under tyranny. So do millions of Ethiopians.They want to live in justice, in equality and freedom.
  
  Why did he not take time to observe the life of people in
  the capital itself. How life is becoming unbearable everyday? Since he has not presented an objective assessment of the current situation in Ethiopia, I consider this article similar to a paid advertisement in a magazine like the Economist. Many countries do this to attract investors. Mr. Harry Verhoeven has made not so good reporting on Ethiopia I would say. Many do this about Africa as well. So there should be not surprise.

  
  
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  Preda Mihailescu Ati vazut, si acolo tot nationalisti, bate-i-ar, cauta legaturi cu istoria antica a Etiopiei. Ce nerusinati acesti nationalisti. Si poate si legaturile dintre starea tarii si faptul ca nu au reusit sa o ingenuncheze, sunt si ele doar ... idei!

  
  
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  Mihai Ion Turcu In cauza pare a fi dilema stat puternic-stat minimal. Ce putem intelege este ca pentru "stat minimal" este nevoie de o societate puternica bine integrata.