Sudan Darfur

EDITORIAL: NO WAR AGAINST �ERITREA� October 28, 2007

By Tecola W. Hagos-

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.,.....

By Dr. Fekadu Bekele

Introduction to Eros and Revolution. 

By Teodros Kiros (Ph.D)-Eros and Revolution is bound to be the manifesto of all those voices of freedom who are fighting for a new world as the old world is slowly dying, and the new world is struggling to emerge......

Text of President Robert Mugabe's speech at 62nd

Session of UN General Assembly  

Your Excellency, President of the 62ndSession of the

United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Srgjan Kerim,  

Africa has not called for a Nuremberg trial against the white world which committed heinous crimes against its own humanity. It has not hunted perpetrators of this genocide, many of whom live to this day, nor has it got reparations from those who offended against it. Instead it is Africa which is in the dock, facing trial from the same world that persecuted it for centuries. In conclusion, let me stress once more that the strength of the United Nations lies in its universality and impartiality as it implements its mandate to promote peace and security, economic and social development, human rights and international law as outlined in the Charter. 

Congratulations Vice President Al Gore!
We believe in your great work. We are greatly indebted to you for courageously reminding us that we are at risk of losing our extremely fragile world�a world the great artist and poet Gebre Kristos Desta of Ethiopia described in one of his poems as �dew suspended in space��that we share. You fought for all humankind, for our habitat, for life itself. Your foresight and courage is exemplary. You taught us by your words and actions to be a citizen of the world, for we all are in it. You pleaded with us to stop polluting and defiling our only home risking extinction, which advice often fell on deaf ears specially those of the greedy industrialists and financiers whose only interest is to make money at all cost. In this award, we commend the Nobel Committee for bestowing the Nobel for Peace Award on you who truly deserved the recognition and applause. Thank you, AL Gore, for all your work and congratulations. 
Tecola W. Hagos , Editor

ISAIAS AFERWERKI - FROM STATESMAN TO DESPOT AND WRECKER Recollections - A Historical Puzzle

Paul B. Henze- Reading my record of this meeting more than 14 years later. I find it hard to understand why this man proceeded to fan tensions with Sudan, Yemen and Djibouti during the years 1994-1197 and then finally to invade Ethiopia in 1998.  Since Ethiopia defeated his armies in 2000 he has pursued a program of implacable hostility.  Instead of welcoming aid for developing Eritrea, he has harassed and finally forbidden most international agencies and private organizations from operating in Eritrea.,.....

Reorienting a fellow Ethiopian: A reply to �The Irrelevance of the Millennium�  October 10, 2008
By Dan Bahta-f you look back at our history, it is all about dignity we never demeaned ourselves. Neither do we recognize anything as better than us. We celebrate what is uniquely ours. And we celebrate passionately, not superficially. We are reasonable; we celebrate because we have defended as well as preserved our honor, integrity; our cultures and social values, for thousands of years. Why couldn�t you see that Ethiopia is a land of struggle and survival as well as pride? Not enough for a cause to celebrate? 

Statement on the passage of �H.R.2003� by the Institute on Religion and Public Policy.  October 7, 2008
President Joseph K. Grieboski of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy (Washington, D.C.) released the following statement on the passage of �H.R.2003, Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act of 2007� by the House of Representatives: The House of Representatives does nothing to advance human rights and democracy by imposing H.R. 2003's restrictions on aid to Ethiopia. Such limits serve to hinder Ethiopia's ongoing battle with religious extremism in the Horn of Africa and to deter Ethiopia's capacity to continue the ongoing assistance and support it has provided both directly and indirectly in the global fight against terrorism.,.....

QOSHITE: ETHIOPIA�S POLITICAL PUZZLE

By Tecola W. Hagos   PART ONE-  October 5, 2008 

Both written presentations of October 2, 2007 by Judge Bertukan Mideksa and Dr. Berhanu Nega, at the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health hearing chaired by Congressman Donald Payne, were carefully crafted documents avoiding any support of H.R. 2003 by name or by inference. What they both did was recount the fact-based numerous violations of human rights and democratic rights of Ethiopians by the Government of Meles Zenawi. I do not find any reason to hold them criminally accountable for their statements as a violation of any Ethiopian criminal law. I may consider their appearance at that hearing, however, a lapse of politically sound judgment, which fact may disqualify them in the eyes of many Ethiopians at home from being leaders for they have breached the single most sacred duty of all Ethiopians�to keep Ethiopia in freedom and independence. It is very troubling to me to watch or hear any political leader compromising the honor and sovereignty of Ethiopia either directly by his or her actions or by his or her association,.....

Editorial: Opposing H. R. 2003 [1] October 1, 2008

By Tecola W. Hagos-Just because one nation is poor or lean or starving and the other rich and bloated or overstuffed, does not mean one has to suffer through some disrespectful relationship. It is simply unacceptable. After all it is the people of Ethiopia who are suffering, thus how is it legal or moral for the Congress of the United States to behave as if Ethiopia is some Ghetto within United States that they end up drafting such insulting resolution and legislation. Wealth neither undermines nor exaggerates the humanity of an individual anywhere. Just because your belly is full, it does not mean that you can go around pushing and insulting poor people in Ethiopia or elsewhere in the World. I challenge the Congress of the United States to withdraw this insulting draft bill, HR 2003, from its list and apologize to the people of Ethiopia.....

Of" The Opposition Pentecostals" & Road Ahead

By Mitiku Adisu-

How dare [DEKI ALULA] THE IRRELEVANCE OF THE MILLENNIUM - by Teodros Kiros (Ph.D) desecrates my heritage?  Dr Belai Habte-Jesus, MD, MPH  September 20, 2007  

Why should Ethiopia carry the placenta of such geniuses who do not produce any vision nor any strategy to share their creativity except curse every one.

The Irrelevance of the Millennium   September 17, 2007

by Teodros Kiros (Ph.D)

What is it that Ethiopia just celebrated? Celebration must have a cause. What is our cause?  Reasonable people celebrate because they have achieved a dream, realized a goal, and exacted a plan.  Ethiopia has not achieved any of these, since the days of Axum and Lalibela, pillars of classical Ethiopian history.....

Constitutional and Human Rights Violation in Tigray - TPLF dissident supporters face assassination attempts and arrests
Dekialula.com Editorial  September 14, 2007
The Government of Meles Zenawi is trying to intimidate all would-be members, the leaders, and those active supporters of the new party of the former TPLF officials and their supporters. For example, last month an assassination attempt had been perpetrated on Gebre Medhin Gebre Yohannes, one of Gebru Asrat�s previous bodyguards, who was actively engaged in collecting signatures for the formation the new party. It was at 11:00am in the morning that the assassination was attempted. The unidentified individuals who fired at Gebre Medhin while he was entering his home, which is located in the center of Maichew town, may be a separate group of death squad than the Police. It was miraculous that he was not murdered, for the roof of his home was badly damaged by several astray bullets targeting him.

EDITORIAL: I would rather celebrate �Ethiopia� by Myself
By Tecola W. Hagos- The whole program is manipulated and distorted by the same obnoxious group of people and their gullible followers, who have for decades usurped our Ethiopian legacy and drove our country into the hands of brutal leaders such as Mengistu and Meles. Starting from the very top of the program, where they have deliberately tried to promote the interest of a particular ethnic group, what I see in the Celebration program are Mahel Sefaris and their spawns, with distorted and corrosive revisionist �history� of Ethiopia, promoting the limited particular ethnic interest or cultural connection......

The Love of Ethiopia Heals Us All   August 11, 2007

By Tecola W. Hagos- People of my generation, let alone those of the generation of my seniors, ought to shelf any political ambition we might have. And we ought to look at our current political and economic situation with clear eyes. We need new blood infusion of new leaders. Is there some magic formula that we can use to alleviate the suffering of our people? There is no single ideology that will solve all of our problems, but there is starting foundational bedrock that we can all stand on to start the reconstruction of our country. There is no need to cast the difference in approach to solve such political problem as some kind of a feud, and even more so as a conflict between the young and the old. The Aristotelian �laws of contradictions� will not work either in our circumstances. We have to deal with so many twists and turns that we hardly could see any clear picture of our political situation. It is very difficult under such current Ethiopian political processes to deal with categorical syllogisms........

Justice
Teodros Kiros (PhD)-Change under the tutelage of a just leader, or better still organized by a social movement, must be tenacious, resolute and populated by numbers. Consider the following example. In the Ethiopian condition, millions of people live in tin houses, millions go without food and clothing, and yet 1% of the population dances away and eats away at fancy hotels. By the standards of MATT�s comportment, this pre-political condition is so unacceptable that it must be protested against by the people in revolt...........

A Brief Response: "Anatomy is Destiny"  August 3, 2007

Tecola W. Hagos-There is this one pathological disease that defenders of Meles suffer from, which I have identified as �ye qomatta bet birqe ttat syndrom,� which syndrome is a real block against any enlightened discourse. From morning to sunset, what I see and hear Meles Zenawi doing is being involved in twisted conspiratorial activities either to marginalize his equals in his party leadership, or undermining the interest of Ethiopia and selling off our legacy to Sudan and other hostile nations around the area. There is nothing mysterious or profound about the fact that Meles Zenawi survived by out foxing so many courageous individuals, most of whom a better of him ten fold, to get where he is now. The people who helped him to this level and stage of prominence are all cut from the same type of cloth whose characteristic is marked with deceit, deceptiveness, conspiracy, treason, egotism, and short stature,.........

August 3, 2007

An interview in Amharic conducted by Dr. Fekadu Bekele with Woizero Zenebech, an Ethiopian lady who spent a couple of months visiting Ethiopia. Woizero Zenebech has made some penetrating observations of the political and economic situation in our beloved country. Dr. Fekadu's questions and comments are to the point, informative, and educational. 

The march of Genuine Democracy. July 25, 2007

Teodros Kiros, PhD- We must stop producing self-perpetuating rulers with morally disorganized selves. All our leaders now are morally dysfunctional and must be fully medicated by MAAT. Where they pretend to be moral educators they merely throw at us meaningless slogans about democracy, Neither the regime in power, nor CUD, not even the emerging new parties has linked the struggle for genuine democracy with the foundational cement of organizing principles.  Hastily erected five year plans, ten year plans, or badly written empty manifestos organized by the principles of ethnic dirt and hate are no substitutes for carefully thought out, plainly written principles, which can be digested by a literate citizenry and serve as the public reason of the citizens. The latter require the use of moral intelligence, the language of the human heart, as the seat of thinking..........

Which way Ethiopia?    July 24, 2007

Teodros Kiros (PhD)-I suggest once again that all those who are flooding the airwaves take the notion of MATT seriously, translate the concept in to our native languages and let the people choose their future leaders not by their ethnic garbs but by the depth of their thoughts and their infusion of MAAT in their character and soul structure. I challenge all those who are writing in the air waves to respond to the calls of MAAT, Africa�s ancient language of moral intelligence.........

EDITORIAL:

Mane Amno Yewotal Ye Sembelett Mama� The CUD/Kinijit Opposition Leaders: Life Sentence/Pardon

July 23, 2007  Tecola W. Hagos- I am glad the political prisoners are free. However, let us not forget the fact that the process of having an extra legal procedure is never a democratic process. The wanton disregard of law and order, the blatant abuse of power, the violation of fundament human rights, murder and mayhem et cetera is still the hallmark of Meles Zenawi and his system of government. Tens of thousands of Ethiopians are in detention, and some of them imprisoned for over a decade. Centuries of brutal elimination of the best and the courageous has resulted in a community that could be characterized as a community of opportunists, subservient, and cowardly individuals creating thereby a society lacking those qualities that makes up a great community............

WELCOME SEYE ABRAHA: JUSTICE LONG OVERDUE

July 14, 2007-By Tecola W. Hagos-There is no question that Seye Abraha was a victim of Meles Zenawi and the Mahel Sefaris. The Mahel Sefaris who are now Meles Zenawi's "elfign askelkies," effectively demonized Seye Abraha and other truly national heroes starting in 1991 in collaboration with a small band of double agents by labeling such heroes as narrow ethnicists accusing them of working for the supremacy of a narrowly defined Tygrei nation. Nothing could be further from the truth. Seye fought for Ethiopia at great sacrifice to his family (father executed by Mengistu's thugs, brothers dying fighting for freedom). It is not without reason that Berhanu Nega, the leader of the Opposition held him with such high regard.....

Illegitimate advocates and illegitimate regimes
(In response to Dr. Solomon Terfa�s �solution� of handing over Badme to Eritrea) July 4, 2007
By Laeke Gebresadik- Ethnic extremists think all Ethiopian institutions benefit the Weyane and do everything to deny it the benefits. They make these institutions their main targets, including social and economic infrastructures to further their ethnic political agendas. They affix the term �Weyane� to the name of any of these institutions. They call the Ethiopian army the �Weyane army�, giving the wrong impression that it is composed of mainly Tigreans. There are some tenets held by the ethnic extremists as the foundation for their hate politics against the Tigray ethnic group. These tenets largely explain the profanity of their ethnic politics. They portray the TPLF and the people of Tigray as one and the same for political expediency, hence an ethnic minority group ruling over the rest of Ethiopia.....

REVISITING THE POLITICAL OPPOSITION: On the Conviction of CUD Leaders  June 25, 2007

Tecola W. Hagos-When an individual becomes a public figure, the personal life is held at bay. One must think of one�s actions in terms of the impact it may have on the public, and because of that, one may have to sacrifice the private life and all self-interests. It is easy to prescribe different course of actions than the one taken by an individual who is immersed, body and soul, in a struggle, for someone from the comfort of one�s own home. As the saying goes, �Letekematch semai qrbu.�....

EDITORIAL: Part Two: On the Interview of Sebhat Nega  

Dumping the Decision of the Boundary Arbitration Commission June 10, 2007

By Tecola W. Hagos-I have not even began to discuss the disastrous regional turmoil that would affect the United States Government�s presence and influence in the Middle East during this period of upsurge of Arab nationalism and Islamic fundamentalism. Ethiopia is the only reliable ally of the United States in the region. Eritrea will be swallowed up by the creeping presence of Islamic fundamentalists within and on its borders. It is highly irresponsible and juvenile for anybody to advocate the imposition on Ethiopia an illegal and fraudulent decision and thereby weaken, even destroy, Ethiopia in this time of conflict and tremendous resentment for the United States in that part of the World. The argument and attention of statesmen should focus on empowering and stabilizing Ethiopia. Such wise statesman-like approach must include throwing the decision of the Commission of 2002 and the Algiers Agreement of 2000 into the �dust bin of history.� ..

EDITORIAL: Part One: On the Interview Given by Sebhat Nega
By Tecola W. Hagos-The responses of Sebhat Nega of May 28, 2007 to questions asked by a friendly interviewer are against the territorial integrity of Ethiopia in the extreme, which would send any patriotic red-blooded Ethiopian into uncontrollable rage. When Sebhat was asked how far the TPLF was involved in promoting the independence movements of Eritrea, he answered with arrogance that the TPLF even more than any Eritrean political organization had put tremendous effort and resources within Ethiopia and outside of Ethiopia in order to effect the breakup and independence of Eritrea from Ethiopia, even going against the desire of the EPLF to reach a negotiated settlement with Mengistu and his government...

Who Speaks for Ethiopia and Why?  May 30, 2007

By Mitiku Adisu-Let me first make a few observations. I do not think anyone disagrees that diversity of thought is a necessary right; in fact, any restrictions on thought are bound to under-nourish public conversation. None of us has the final word on procedures or how they turn out; time has a way of shedding light on matters that conspire to leave us in the dark. Finally, it must be stated that people generally understand what works for them if and when the terms are clearly presented........

THE ETHICS AND POLITICS OF FORGIVENESS: A CHALLENGE TO A JUST SOCIETY.

By Tecola W. Hagos-In a political rear-view mirror, things that appear to be near, profound, and honorable may be in reality remote, ordinary, and even corrupt. When speaking or writing about social justice or injustice and the development of civil society, one must restrain oneself from going blindly overboard, in praising or condemning any one individual or any one particular event, especially when one is being carried on the crest of populist political wave. This is easier said than done, for I too in the past have written essays overlooking some of the virtues of Ethiopian leaders I severely criticized. Ours is a period of great disappointment and as a result a time of self-examination and of genuine reevaluation of all events that we have held sacrosanct for some time now. The quotation above seems to indicate that Immanuel Kant the greatest philosopher of moral certitude is having second thought about our human moral condition. Thus, it is only commonsensical for me to revisit one of our current controversies�the concept of forgiveness. .......

Dr. Fekadu Bekele

From Structural Adjustment to WTO membership! Squaring poverty!! 

Dr. Fekadu Bekele-The introduction of the free market policy and especially the program of the structural adjustment in Ethiopia in 1993 is a historical turning point in the socio-economic conditions of our country. With the introduction of the SAP, it was from the outset clear that such kind of a wide range policy will create new social conditions and social relationships that our country has never experienced before. By creating new conditions, and formulating new laws, and practicing new policy that are totally different from the policy of the previous government, the policy makers were convinced that Ethiopia and its people will march on the road of market economy that brings prosperity and eradicate poverty once-for-all.........

The Curse of Factional/Fractional Politics in Ethiopia and the Imperative for Consensus and Convergence

Assafa Endeshaw, London, England- February 24, 2007-

The serious question that needs to be tackled today consequently is whether there are any political forces with a sufficient depth of grasp of, and firm commitment to, democratic values that can single-handedly or in cooperation take hold of the state and transform it into a democracy? It may come as no surprise to the reader that we do not find even a single force that qualifies currently for such a historical task....

PART TWO:

The Role of Religion in the Political Life of Ethiopia:

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church �Synod in Exile�

February 18, 2007-Tecola W. Hagos-In Ethiopian politics of struggle for power, there are not just two or three sides to a story, but several layered more bizarre dimensions than can be imagined. The tragedy is that this breakup of the Church was not necessary. And the victims in all these recrimination and fracture are the faithful people of Ethiopia who have no voice in the matter. At any rate, I would not have been that much concerned if the breakup was due to ideology or on points of reformation. The Ethiopian Church is in need of serious reformation starting with the election of Patriarchs and the investiture of Abunas (Bishops)...

ETHIOPIA �S VITAL INTEREST: NATIONAL SECURITY VS. POLITICAL EXPEDIENCY .

February 12, 2007-Tecola W. Hagos-I challenge anyone to show me how diversified the current Diaspora Opposition leadership is. What I am observing is the aggregation of �birds of the same feather� closely bunched and allowing no space to the larger community of Ethiopians from outside of Addis Ababa and vicinity, and not reflective of the diversity of religion and ethnic background of Ethiopians. This is a very serious setback that must be reversed if one wants to avoid horrendous bloodshed in the future...

THE SOMALIA CRISIS: EYE ON THE BIG PICTURE

By Hanna Yohannes-

In order for peace, democracy and economic growth to permanently settle in Ethiopia, the Ethiopian government should do all it can to ensure that law and order prevail in the country and its neighborhood. The Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) did tremendous damage to the Ethiopian state and its people by challenging Ethiopia, its territorial integrity and the authority of the Ethiopian government among other things.  Most direct, the UIC declared war on Ethiopia.  But even more menacing were its constant pokes to drag Ethiopia down to the chaotic level of Somalia.  ....

Editorial: 

�Kinijit� and the Somali Crises  January 5, 2007
Tecola W. Hagos-The true essence of Kinijit Press Release is its hunger and blind greed for power. Here we have a situation that is a threat to the very survival of the state of Ethiopia, and this opposition group is lamenting its loss of the election of 2005. It is unbelievable to see such blind hunger for power by individuals who had such terrible sense of timing and no political savvy. No matter how the election of 2005 was lost, the continuation of a struggle based on such loss in disregard of the current Somali crises is in itself poor political judgment not to mention its damage to the security of the Ethiopian State. The danger of the Islamic Courts must be appraised as a danger to Ethiopia not to Meles Zenawi and his government. ....

Letter to the Editor

I wish you a happy new year first. It was with keen interest that I read your article dealing with the Somali crisis in which you pointed out the dangers facing Ethiopia. While appreciating your efforts to analyze the situation in terms of your own perspective, I wholly disagree with your calls to rally behind the vehemently anti Ethiopian regime of Meles Zenawi......

The Execution of Saddam Hussein: A Lesson We Never Learn, But Should.

By Tecola W. Hagos- This brief essay is not a eulogy or a requiem to a brutal tyrant, but a sad observation of life in its specificity and in its generality too�as Unamuno would put it, �a tragic sense of life.� I cry for all of us, for all human kind, what a sorry figure we cut even in times of our greatest triumphs. What all these condense to is that one group of people are dancing in their streets after hanging their former President, while another group of people in another part of the world are giving a dignified send-off, a State Funeral, to their former President who lived to the ripe old age of ninety three years pampered and indulged...

Echoes of war and the imperative to mobilize our good senses

Editor's note- Even though it is overtaken by recent developments on the ground, we have posted Mitiku Adisu�s article on the current Somali Crises in this Website because the views expressed are different than the views held by the Editor of this Website on the Somali crises....

IS ETHIOPIA A COMMON POOL RESOURCE?
December 28, 2006- Michael Seifu-If we let Ethiopia continue to be a common pool resource and if we do not stop believing that the Ethiopian entity is not beyond a simple sum of its individual parts then our tragedy ends in a failed state.....

By Tecola W. Hagos- I need not remind my fellow Ethiopians,  that the current crises in and war with the Jihadist Islamic Courts is the beginning of a well organized attack by Ethiopia�s historic enemies and newly minted ones to destroy Ethiopia completely. 

Ethiopia has every right to defend itself from Jihadist attacks no matter who started the conflict. We must separate the two issues dealing with the leadership of Meles Zenawi and the defense of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ethiopia, in order for us to reach a decision that will preserve our national interest.     Ethiopia is being choked by its historic enemies on all sides with no outlet to the outside world except through Kenya. The Port of Djibouti is now in the hands of Dubai and Qatar, two utterly obnoxious enemies of Ethiopia ever tightening the noose of destruction around Ethiopia...