EDITORIAL: NO WAR AGAINST �ERITREA�

By Tecola W. Hagos

For an individual who believes the so called independence of �Eritrea� was neither historical nor legal under international law or any other �law,� going to war for Ethiopia against such an entity at this time with the kind of leadership we have in Ethiopia is neither wise nor morally justified. The Eritrean independence movement, as well as the act of independence itself, was manipulated by the Arab enemies of �Christian� Ethiopia, and since 1978 by the struggle of the Superpowers. The people of Ethiopia�s Province of Eritrea were just used as pawns for those non-African goals of dominance and subjugation by such forces who would not give a hoot about the welfare of Eritreans. I need not be a political trapeze artist to show the dismal degree of economic assistance or technological help �Eritrea� received, since its independence from Ethiopia, from Arab countries. This is what the myopic leaders in Ethiopia or �Eritrea� failed to see that those who support violent struggle against Ethiopia did so for their own selfish geopolitical interests.

A few weeks ago, I posted an article by Paul Henze, an expert in Ethiopia-America relationships, which article seems to suggest that Isaias Afeworki is the �only� problem in that part of the world. The only reason I posted that article was simply to entice Henze into writing about the geopolitical future of Ethiopia and its legitimate coastal territory and territorial waters on the Red Sea, which issue he had successfully avoided to discuss openly for the last fifteen years. Using this Website with its tens of thousands of visitors as bait, I was acting as the spider inviting Henze to my parlor in order to have him divulge what is truly behind United States political game. I believe that no one knows as thoroughly and as intimately than Henze the true intentions of the Government of the United States about �Eritrea� and Ethiopia�if only we could make him talk.

In fact, the Henze article that I posted seems to read that the purpose of Henze�s effort is to put in place some kind of political ground-softening in order to politicize the removal of Isaias Afeworki from leadership position because Isaias Afeworki has become anti-American. I suspect unlike Henze, the United States Government would not seem to care an iota about Ethiopia�s neither true national security nor territorial integrity. In his own way, Henze seems to be seriously concerned about the future of Ethiopia, but limited in that effort by United States Government imposed restrictions of silence due to his long service with the State Department, maybe even as �intelligence� officer.

After all, it is a fact that the United States is behind the land locking of Ethiopia, the alienation of its territory in the guise of creating an �Eritrea� out of Ethiopian historic territory, and it is also currently harboring ONLF leaders and supporters here in the United States or is blind to the terrorist attack of the ONLF on Ethiopia�s military forces and citizens living in the Ogadeen area. The history of the relationship between the United States and Ethiopia of the last one hundred years shows clearly the fact that the United States Government, at all crucial moments in the life of Ethiopia except in the case of the 1977-78 invasion of Somalia, has worked without fail against the interest of Ethiopia. Simply put, the United States Government is not the friend Ethiopians think it is, but rather has been acting as if it is the number one enemy of Ethiopia.

In this regard of the United States acting as if it is the enemy of Ethiopia, how else can you explain the passage of H.R. 2003 by the United States House of Representatives, a bunch of disrespectful, arrogant, and infantile group of people whose cowardice is fully displayed last week by their not even passing a bill condemning the genocide that was carried out by the Ottoman Turks against Christian Armenians around the time of World War I. These political charlatans and cowards of the House of Representatives picked on Ethiopia, just like street thugs would on the weak and defenseless; the fact is Ethiopia is a friendly and courageous nation that fought terrorists in Somalia cleaning the mess left by the failed United States military effort of a few years ago. 

I oppose any attack on �Eritrea� or any of the people thereof whom I consider to be Ethiopians as well, at this moment. It is tragic for the current Ethiopian Government, even to contemplate the possibility of going to war let alone actually launch a military attack to remove Isaias Afeworki from power, thereby acting as the attack dog of the United States, and doing its dirty deeds. The removal of Isaias Afeworki is not the main problem for Ethiopia. Ethiopia�s paramount problem is the removal of Meles Zenawi and his Government that is at least fifty percent responsible for the hostility and political and economic turmoil facing us all. We must not forget the fact that without the help of EPRDF as the Government of Ethiopia, there would have been no independence or membership for �Eritrea� in the United Nations; without the collusion of Meles Zenawi with Isaias Afeworki, there would have been no Algiers 2000 Agreement resulting in the land locking of eighty million Ethiopians away from their historic coastal territories and territorial waters on the Red Sea. Who is kidding whom?

What would be the consequence of removing Isaias Afeworki from power at this point in time? It is not going to solve our problem of being land locked and the issue of Ethiopia�s coastal territories being occupied illegally. The United States Government and its European counter parts (Britain, France, and Italy) have no inclination to reverse their mistaken policy that had brought so much misery and conflict in the region and in Ethiopia and �Eritrea� in particular. That monumental error and injustice against the people of Ethiopia will continue to fester as a hemorrhaging wound unless the West is willing to return Ethiopia�s Coastal Afar Territories to the rightful owners�the people of Ethiopia. If the current Ethiopian Government has serious problems with Isaias (which I doubt), there are other far more sophisticated ways to deal with such problems than the blunt method of rolling tanks down into battlefields!

I do not want to be misunderstood here at all. Isaias Afeworki is no angel. He has been in bed for some time now with terrorist leaders, the recent being his involvement and organization of a conference for the so called Somali Islamic Courts leaders and other conflict-prone tribal Somali leaders who have in tandem declared Jihad against Ethiopia. Isaias is wasting the scant resource of his government on frivolous but dangerous cat-and-mouse game with the current Ethiopian leaders. His involvement and initial collusion with the Government of Meles Zenawi (EPRDF) to deprive Ethiopia of its legitimate coastal territories and territorial water on the Red Sea will not allow any peaceful coexistence with Ethiopia. The first thing toward profound peace and long term cooperation even reintegration, for the sake of the people of the two warring communities, is to scrap the corrupted decision of the Boundary Commission and start a new negotiation on the basis of demography and history based interests of the people [mainly Afar, Erob, and Kunama]  of the region.

If Isaias is no longer in power due to any number of reasons, I suspect the people who will replace Isaias might even be far more radicalized and fanatical people than Isaias and his group, who might end up totally cutting all relationships with their Ethiopian counterparts and may join the Arab League as full partners and not just as observers. The persecution and alienation of Christians in �Eritrea� under such new political order would simply escalate by bounds. It is a puzzle to me how such drastic step of removing a leader by force and the destabilization of a fragile structure like �Eritrea� would promote long-term stability and cooperation either for the United States or the region (Ethiopia included). Kemaiawqut melaek, ye miawooqoot seitan ye shalal. It may be the case that Isaias may end up being the last �Eritrean� leader, for it is possible that utter chaos may follow his removal or resignation or death. Ethiopians should be very careful in their response when Americans show up bearing gifts, for they may be the Homeric Greeks, and Ethiopians, the Trojans.

Tecola W. Hagos

October 28, 2007