Posted on November 19, 2015.
By the Strathink.net Editorial Team
The strathink.net editorial team is puzzled by the recent interview given by Ambassador Herman Cohen to Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT). In an article posted today by tesfanews.net, “Minority Regime Could Never Achieve Economic Development,” Ambassador Cohen makes a number of statements that seriously call into question his credibility as a former high official of the United States Government.
Ambassador Cohen told ESAT, “Ethiopians can’t invest if they don’t belong to the minority regime.” This is utter nonsense. Where are the facts that support this assertion? We urge the Ethiopian Government to invite Ambassador Cohen to visit the regional states and personally meet Ethiopian investors who are not members of what he calls “the minority regime.”
Ambassador Cohen says that a country could not bring about economic turnaround where only a small clique has the economic upper hand in all facets of trade and investment. We can all agree on that statement. Ethiopia has one of the fastest growing economies in the world, according to all of the multilateral global economic institutions. Logically, then, according to Ambassador Cohen, it stands to reason that Ethiopia’s economic turnaround—a fact—cannot be the result of a “small clique” of investors. Ambassador Cohen will probably be surprised that ESAT staff sneaks in the back door of the Ethiopian Embassy on International Drive to fill out the paperwork for their own investments in Ethiopia.
Above and beyond the known inclusiveness of investors in Ethiopia, it may surprise Ambassador Cohen that members of the opposition, who come from ethnic groups other than Tigrayan, have significant investments in Ethiopia and have prospered. A good example is Mr. Hailu Shawal, once leader of Ethiopia’s largest opposition group preceding the 2005 election. Mr. Shawal invested in his country and made a great deal of money. Again, perhaps Ambassador Cohen should visit Addis Ababa and see the physical evidence of Mr. Shawal’s investments.
In the interview, Ambassador Cohen states that the United States allowed the TPLF and EPLF to take control of Addis Ababa and Asmara respectively to end the war without further damage. The Eritreans fought for 30 years for independence. Ethiopians fought for 17 years to rid themselves of Mengistu Haile Mariam. Did either need the permission of the United States to claim victory?
Ambassador Cohen unfortunately seeks the approval of the Ethiopian diaspora by referring to the late Prime Minister’s land policy as a response to preventing domination by ethnic Amharas. According to the Ambassador, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told him that “land in Ethiopia could not be privatized just because he believed Amharas would buy it all cheap, which in turn would bring them to power.” Prime Minister Meles consistently explained his government’s policy on land as protection for the over 85% of the Ethiopian population who depended on agriculture to live. Any economic shock would force the farmer to sell his/her only asset—land. Without the land, the farmer had no place to earn a livelihood. Until the creation of a viable manufacturing sector, the government implemented a system whereby the farmer leased the land for 99 years.
Ambassador Cohen’s remark about Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s fear of Amharas demeans the Ambassador. It is a poor, and rather cheap, attempt to sully the reputation of Ethiopia’s former Prime Minister.
Any government can benefit from constructive criticism based on facts. Just recently Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn said that he is open to criticism and that there is room for improvement. That’s fair. Playing to the Ethiopian diaspora and the discredited Eritrean president is not fair.
Mr. Cohen is also quoted as saying the U.S. “should keep up with people who are not in power, maintain relations with them, while concentrating on national security.” As the U.S.’s former head of national security, Ambassador Cohen knows that the U.S. can’t do both. Insurgent movements aiming to overthrow a democratically elected government cannot be trusted. Our national security depends on stable and reliable partnerships with leaders who respect rule of law, democratic institutions and human rights. Unfortunately, Eritrea today falls short.
Ambassador Cohen has had a long and distinguished career as an American diplomat and high official. His attempts to legitimize the pariah state of Eritrea by demonizing the government of Ethiopia are slowly but surely eroding the dignity of his long career as a public servant.
http://www.strathink.net/ethiopia/former-secretary-of-state-for-africa-herman-cohen-paid-to-lobby-on-behalf-of-eritrean-president-isayas-afewerki/