By Alemayehu G. Mariam A Thankless Job, But Somebody’s Got to Do It! It is gratifying to know that Ethiopian Americans are carrying their fair share of the load in helping the economy of their homeland. It was an eye-opening revelation to learn that Ethiopian Americans contributed a cool $1.2 billion to the Ethiopian economy…
By Alemayehu G. Mariam Quitting Time in Somalia The situation in Somalia has turned Code Red. Things are deteriorating very fast for Zenawi’s troops. The Al-Shabaab “jihadists” have taken over southern Somalia, and are ravenously eyeing Mogadishu. It is no longer “hit-and-run” guerrilla warfare. It is capture-and-stay. They have captured Kisimayo, a southern port town….
Alemayehu G. Mariam The Strange Career of Democracy in Africa What is the difference between South Africa and Ethiopia? Simple. South Africa is a democracy (government of the people, by the people, and for the people). Ethiopia is a pluto-kleptocracy (a government of rich thieves, by rich thieves and for rich thieves). Two weeks ago…
By Alemayehu G. Mariam Back in 1920, H.L. Mencken, “the sage of Baltimore,” made a chillingly nightmarish observation about the future of the American presidency: “The larger the mob, the harder the test. In small areas, before small electorates, a first-rate man occasionally fights his way through, carrying even the mob with him by force…
By Alemayehu G. Mariam Oh, the twists and turns on the road to an Ethiopia human rights legislation in the U.S. Congress. The first leg of that journey began in the House of Representatives with H.R. 4423 (“Ethiopia Consolidation Act of 2005”). Then came H.R. 5680 (“Ethiopia Freedom, Democracy, and Human Rights Advancement Act of…
By Alemayehu G. Mariam What A difference a Year Makes! What a difference a year makes in a Millennium! A year ago, almost to the day, we celebrated a moment of triumph. It was the 9th of September. A day I will always remember. It was our day of jubilation. A day of pride. It…
By Alemayehu G. Mariam Teddy Afro in Zenawi’s Kangaroo Court The great Tewodros Kassahun (Teddy Afro) is Zenawi’s most famous political prisoner in Ethiopia today. Zenawi jacked Teddy on bogus charges of vehicular manslaughter, failure to assist the injured and driving without a license. Teddy was out on “bail” until April 2008, when his bail…
By Alemayehu G. Mariam The Sisterhood of Misfortune Pakistan and Ethiopia are sisters in misfortune. First, for much of their modern political history, they have been the playgrounds of autocrats and tinhorn dictators. For over one-half of its 61 year existence as a state, Pakistan has been ruled by iron-fisted generals, including Mohammad Ayub Khan…
For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary The White House President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate three individuals and appoint two individuals to serve in his Administration. The President intends to nominate Mimi Alemayehou, of the District of Columbia, to be the United States Director of the African Development Bank….
(Full text of speech given at the University of Minnesota Law School, Conference “On the New Breed of African Leaders and the Future of Human Rights and Democracy in Africaâ€Â, April 6, 2007.) It feels great coming back to my alma mater after nearly a quarter of a century. Momentary Reflection on My Youthful Activism…
