By Kebour Ghenna
Irony does not come darker than last weekend’s statement of Ethiopia’s PM advising Russia and Ukraine to come to the table and peacefully resolve their differences.
Funny, no – For a leader who has yet to show interest in diplomacy in his own quarter.
Nowhere was this more apparent few days back at the United Nations General Assembly, where diplomats were gathered to vote on a crucial resolution: “Aggression against Ukraine”. Ethiopia did not vote for the resolution, or against it, it didn’t even abstain, it simply did not show up.
Helloooo, has anybody seen the Ambassador Taye Atske-Selassie Amdein?
Smart diplomacy, some may say, rather cowardly other may argue (I would include myself in this category), certainly not a pragmatic decision by any measure.
Geopolitics aside, let me stress that any war is insane. It’s natural and important to have empathy for the Ukrainian people as they see their nation invaded. Their resilience is admirable.
The fact remains that despite the talk about democracy and sovereignty for Ukraine, the real storyline is about drawing the line between the Russia expansion and the buffer of Europe. As a non-NATO country, Ukraine has sought to join NATO membership, a red line for Russia. The latter’s intention is to neutralize the western movement with a friendly government in Ukraine. Russia’s playbook has been predictable with the annexing of Crimea in 2014 and the de facto control of the eastern sections of Ukraine.
Just like the US seeks to expand (based on its Monroe Doctrine) its sphere of influence, why get confused when Russia is doing the same? Ask yourselves: What would Uncle Sam do if California tried to break free from the United States and made a military alliance with, say,China?
Whatever you may think of the conflict in Ukraine the response of the US and its western allies is contingent on self-interests. Many people are rightfully upset at the silence of the west for similar aggressions against Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Cuba, Panama, Nicaragua twice… and more. In the “Cuban Missile Crisis” the US took the world to the brink of nuclear war, insisting that the Soviets remove their missiles from Cuba. The CIA even sponsored an invasion of the island. But the US was never sanctioned. The dollar did not collapse. Rich Americans did not have their accounts frozen, and nationalized.
By the way, did anyone notice the news about Covid 19… it’s no more headline! Russia and Ukraine have taken over. But with only one singular view advanced by the West… no contrary opinion is permitted. Obviously we don’t know where all this will lead the world. Our hunch is that nothing good will come of this.
Back to Ethiopia, as mentioned above, the no-show at the emergency UN General Assembly was not an example of stellar Ethiopian diplomacy. It would have been right to support, or oppose, or even abstain the resolution, and then explain your underlying principle for your vote, rather than run away from the scene and the scale of the problem. That’s not serious for a country like Ethiopia!
More to come…
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