Ethiopia News Archive
25 Oct 2009
The Madness of Ethiopia’s “2010 Elections”, Part II
Alemayehu G. Mariam Mission Impossible? In the first part of our commentary[1] on the madness of Ethiopia’s 2010 “elections”, we posed the question: “Is it possible to have a fair and free election in a police state?” In light of the persuasive anecdotal evidence presented by former Ethiopian president Dr. Negasso Gidada, which pointed to
19 Oct 2009
The Madness of Ethiopia’s 2010 “Elections”
Alemayehu G. Mariam In part I, we explore whether, given the current circumstances in Ethiopia today, a free and fair election is possible in May 2010. In part II, we aim to explore the necessary preconditions for free and fair elections. Free and Fair Elections in a Police State “Is it possible to have a
11 Oct 2009
Mothers of Ethiopia, Mother Ethiopia
Alemayehu G. Mariam Mother of All Troubles It is not only Mother Ethiopia that is in deep trouble today but also the millions of mothers in Ethiopia. Hanna Ingber Win, the World Editor of the Huffington Post, was “invited by the U.N. Population Fund to visit its maternal health programs in Ethiopia, which has one
09 Oct 2009
Ethiopia: Much Ado About An Already Won Election!
By Alemayehu G. Mariam Déjà Vu: Here We Go Again With the Charade Last April, we commented that the whole business of elections in Ethiopia is “much ado about nothing”. We offered a catalogue of reasons why the whole election rigmarole and ritual under the current dictatorship was an exercise in futility and absurdity: The
05 Oct 2009
Patriots and Trying Times
Alemayehu G. Mariam Trying Times “These are the times that try men’s souls,” said Thomas Paine, one of the Founders of the American Republic, at the onset of the American Revolution. It could be said equally that these are times that try a nation’s soul. Ethiopia today is stranded in a sea of political, economic
01 Oct 2009
Are African Dictators Becoming Environmentalists?
By Alemayehu Gebremariam Recently, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi warned that the African delegation he is expected to lead to the climate change talks in Copenhagen in December would walk out of any “negotiations that threaten to be another rape of the continent.” The Ethiopian dictator, who was speaking in Addis Ababa at a meeting
28 Sep 2009
In Contempt of. . . the Truth!
By Alemayehu G. Mariam In Contempt … Commenting recently on an International Crisis Group (ICG) study dealing with rising ethnic tensions and dissent in advance of the “May 2010” elections, Ethiopia’s arch dictator wisecracked, “This happens as some people have too many billions of dollars to spend and they feel that dictating how, particularly, the
14 Sep 2009
Save Lake Koka Before Saving the Continent of Africa!
Alemayehu G. Mariam Bluster of the Con Artists Last week Ethiopia’s arch dictator was in tears, crocodile tears that is, over the unfair and shameful treatment of Africa by the heartless Western imperialists on the issue of global warming and climate change. Frothing at the mouth and brimming with moral indignation, the dictator threatened to
07 Sep 2009
Mugged on “K” Street?
By Alemayehu G. Mariam Remember H.R. 2003? Do you remember H.R. 2003 (“Ethiopia Democracy and Accountability Act”)? That was a bill sponsored by Rep. Donald Payne (D-N.J.) to promote the “advancement of human rights, democracy, independence of the judiciary, freedom of the press, peacekeeping capacity building, and economic development in the Federal Democratic Republic of
31 Aug 2009
Thugs Gone Wild in Kilil-istan!
By Alemayehu G. Mariam Rent-a-Thug Against Democracy In a recent piece entitled “Mob Disrupts Political Meeting in Adama,” former Ethiopian President Dr. Negasso Gidada described how “an organized mob disturbed a public political meeting of the Unity for Democracy and Justice (UDJ) in Adama, Oromia, and forced the discontinuation of the meeting.” Dr. Negasso explained: