By: Tsehaye Debalkew,

Washington, DC

A high-level bi-lateral official Ethio-US diplomatic convocation was held in the heart of the nation’s capital here last week. The high-powered delegations of the two friendly countries were pioneered by the highest diplomats of both nations. The Ethiopian side was led by that country's top envoy, Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin while the US emissary was headed by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. The highly anticipated consultative meeting of the two delegations dealt with wide-ranging issues pertaining to the mutual interest of both sides, on bilateral, continental and global concerns.

It is to be noted that the US, as a uni-polar super power has military, security, economic and geo-political interest that spawn around the globe. In this regard it has counted on pivotal reliable allies and friends to effectively benefit from its worldwide sphere of influence. In justaposition to its international role, the US had long positioned itself on anchor states, identified by the multifarious impact they have in their respective regions and in light of promoting the all-round benefits to the US and enhancing the bilateral outcome that ensues from such a bond.

In this regard it is pertinent to reminisce that Ethio-US diplomatic ties have withstood the test of time for over a century out-living various US Administrations and Ethiopian regimes. It is on record that US Veterans after the US civil war had voluntarily joined their Ethiopian compatriots, when the latter fought and defeated a major European modern army at the world-renowned battle of Adwa in 1996. Later on, when the US emerged as the triumphant nation in the aftermath of the first world war, a high-level Ethiopian delegation, came to the US in 1919 who hailed and congratulated President Woodrow Wilson by presenting him with precious Ethiopian souvenirs. Before the brief interregnum during the Italian occupation of Ethiopia, Veteran American soldiers fought alongside the Ethiopian resistance fighters against the occupying aggressor forces of Mussolini, while US pilots helped train their Ethiopian counterparts in the then teetering toddler Ethiopian air force that was no match to the Italian fascist air force that was raining napalm poison bombs on defenseless Ethiopian civilians.   

True to its cherished history as a leading sovereign independent nation of Africa, Ethiopia was the only nation that sat in par with the big powers during the inauguration of the now defunct League of Nations held at the beautiful city of San Francisco, prior to the advent of the second world. It was at this historic world convention that Ethiopia forewarned the world of the impeding cataclysm that was pregnant as a result of the heinous and sinister ideology of Nazism and Fascism, which had harbored an evil and devastating scheme to condemn the world into untold catastrophe. Unfortunately the warning that Ethiopia whistleblowed of the spectre of Nazism and Fascism that was haunting the world was least heeded due to the blinding arrogance of the powers that be.

This was a feating prophecy and a telling for-sightedness on the part of Ethiopia, which had left an indelible mark in the annals of international diplomacy, endering a commensurable position to Ethiopia in the world forum. With the dawn of a new era after the debacle of German Nazism, Italian fascism and Japanese imperial expansion, when the UN was founded, here too, Ethiopia anchored on its rightful historical place and played a key role as a founding member representing Africa as the only independent and sovereign nation right on the morrow of world war II.

With the advent of African renaissance, Ethiopia played a focal role in  pearheading the fight for anti-colonialism and anti-neo-colonialism by marshalling continental effort as witnessed in the creation of the Organization of African Unity/OAU/ which streamlined an all encompassing continental drive to leap-frog Africa to unfetter itself from all shackles of political, economic and social maze and entanglement. With the herald of the African Union, which replaced its precursor, the OAU, Ethiopia in tandem with its hereto fore bristling diplomatic history not only joined ranks with other members but also continued to play a crucial role in this august continental body to move Africa forward to be a bastion and beacon of peace, unity and development at the current critical juncture in its history. What is more, by way of bolstering its significant position to the center stage of the African diplomatic forum, Ethiopia has proactively engaged itself in the economic liberation of the continent through the instrumentality of "NEPAD" a continental economic cooperation vehicle.

One of the over-riding roles that Ethiopia has been exerting a fully-fledged effort is, its quintessential role in the anti-terrorism global struggle. In this venture Ethiopia solely executed a mission filled with valor and utmost commitment and determination essentially single-handedly, in the initial period of the global anti-terrorism crusade, when arguably most nations then failed to recognize the real threat of the coordinated and concerted global terrorist onslaught. The profile of Ethiopian diplomatic role is replete with shining and reverberating chapters that soundly resonate into resume of the burgeoning input so far and the contributions it continues to make at present which has earned it due respect and recognition in the international arena. It has only been barely less than two decades since our country has embarked upon unmistakably and indisputably building a developmental democratic order, based on federal structure and a constitution that has engendered the sprouting of the rule and due process of law, political pluralism, free press and a market economy which has entailed Ethiopia’s ascendance to be the second non-oil producing economic power-house in Africa.

It is against the backdrop of this plethora of facts that recent Ethio-US bond consultative meeting should be extrapolated. Ethiopia has expressly positioned itself asthe front-runner in the continental and international fray of diplomatic activity, i.e., the maintenance of peace and security, climate change, world economic issues and the antiterrorist fight.

The US with its global sphere of influence positively appreciated anchor states that help gauge the orderly function of international systems of peace, security and global economic transaction that affect nations both individually and as a group. Hence the role Ethiopia has been incessantly playing as a dependable partner in this regard has served the US as a sin-qua-non measure to do serious business with it. But the close  coordination and partnership of the US and Ethiopia in forging their effort together on the global forum also calls for the US to fully recognize and give due attention to the building of a new developmental democratic system, which Ethiopia is striving to  establish. Thus, the recent historic pact between Ethiopia and the US to closely forge their activities and all the more cement their bi-lateral and mutually reciprocal ties underlines the furtherance of a yet strengthened Ethio-US relations with the US standing solidly behind Ethiopia by contributing tangibly a palpable effort towards the building of institutions of democratic governance and economic bedrock in Ethiopia that would certainly create opportune climate for further Ethio-US solidarity and partnership on the global sphere. (aigaforum.com)