Alemayehu G. Mariam The Common People Don’t Want War At the Nuremberg Trials in 1945, Hermann Goering, Hitler’s right-hand man, told his interrogator: Naturally the common people don’t want war. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to…
Alemayehu G. Mariam The Shell Game of African Democracy If the Ivory Coast, one of the most prosperous African countries, can be considered a template for political change on the continent, democracy can replace dictatorship only by means of a civil war. For the past 5 months, Laurent Gbagbo, the loser of the November 2010…
The Deal of the Century Supposing someone offered you the following land deal, would you take it or walk away believing it is too good to be true? For £150 a week (USD$245), you can lease more than 2,500 sq km (1,000 sq miles) of virgin, fertile land – an area the size of Dorset,…
By Alemayehu G. Mariam Creeping Youthbellion and Youthvolution in Africa and the Middle East “When the sun rises, it rises for everyone,” goes the old saying. The sun that rose over tyranny in North Africa will not set at the edge of the Sahel; it will shine southward on the African savannah and rainforest. The…
Originally appeared in the Huffington Post on 02/28/2011 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alemayehu-g-mariam/thugtatorship-the-highest_b_828864.html Thugogracy in Africa If democracy is government of the people, by the people and for the people, a thugogracy is a government of thieves, for thieves, by thieves. Simply stated, a thugtatorship is rule by a gang of thieves and robbers (thugs) in designer suits. It…
Originally appeared in the Huffington Post on 1/24/2011 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alemayehu-g-mariam/as-african-tyrants-fall_b_812880.html The Invincible Dictators Mohandas Karmachand Gandhi (The Mahatma or Great Soul) is today revered as a historical figure who fought against colonialism, racism and injustice. But he was also one of the greatest modern revolutionary political thinkers and moral theorists. While Nicolo Machiavelli taught tyrants how…
Originally appeared in the Huffington Post on 1/19/2011 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alemayehu-g-mariam/referendum-for-sudan-requ_b_809803.html Sudan’s Best and Worst of Times It is the best of times in the Sudan. It is the worst of times in the Sudan. It is the happiest day in the Sudan. It is the saddest day in the Sudan. It is referendum for the Sudan….
Originally appeared in the Huffington Post on 11/14/2010 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alemayehu-g-mariam/ethiopia-profiles-in-jour_b_783372.html Honor Thy Independent Journalists I often write about the trials and tribulations of Ethiopia’s independent journalists, sometimes in tones of lamentation[1], other times in wistful philosophical reflection[2]. I have always defended the constitutional and human rights of Ethiopian citizens “to seek, receive and impart information and…
Originally appeared in the Huffington Post on 10/25/2010 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alemayehu-g-mariam/ethiopia-feed-them-and-bl_b_773201.html Western Donors as Accessories to “Democricide” in Ethiopia The helping hand that feeds Ethiopians is the same hand that helps bleed Ethiopia. Every year, the U.S., U.K, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, Japan and other Western countries hand out billions of dollars in “humanitarian” and “economic” aid…
Originally appeared in the Huffington Post on 10/18/2010 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alemayehu-g-mariam/let-ethiopians-hear-ameri_b_765947.html Ethiopian Citizens Have the Absolute Constitutional Right to Listen to the VOA So many lessons to learn from Columbia University! When dictator-in-chief Meles Zenawi spoke unceremoniously at Columbia on September 22, he was talking trash about the Voice of America (VOA). He said he decided to…
