July 24, 2026
Discover more
Political Drama Analysis
Politics
City & Local Guides
By Wondmagegn Ejigu Kebede
Enköping, Sweden
The late Meles Zenawi, a seminal figure in Ethiopian politics, presided over a tenure marked by consequential decisions that have left a profound and lasting impact on the nation. Among his most controversial legacies are the ratification of the current constitution and the cessation of the Port of Assab to Isaias Afwerki actions widely viewed by critics as strategic miscalculations that precipitated decades of political instability.
In the nascent stages of his administration, a combination of perceived diplomatic intransigence and a lack of governance experience incurred a significant political cost for Ethiopia. Meles’s management of the transitional and subsequent political periods is often characterized as authoritarian; under his rule, fundamental pillars of governance such as freedom of expression, the right to assembly, and genuine participatory democracy were systematically marginalized.
To his credit, in the latter years of his premiership, Meles sought to mitigate the rising tensions of primordial and ethnic loyalties by fostering national unity through economic integration. He spearheaded several ambitious mega-projects intended to bind the country’s diverse regions through shared development. However, these efforts were ultimately perceived as “too little, too late.” Haunted by the very ethnic federalism he helped institutionalize, Meles spent his final years attempting to stabilize the nation through economic means. Ultimately, the volatile forces of ethnic politics he set in motion created a political avalanche that eventually led to the ousting of his party, the TPLF, from the seat of power at Arat Kilo.
In contrast to his domestic failures, Meles Zenawi’s legacy on the diplomatic front was characterized by a sophisticated understanding of regional dynamics, global power structures, and international political economy. Under his leadership, Ethiopia emerged as a formidable diplomatic actor, exerting significant influence not only within the Horn of Africa but across the continent at large.
Meles successfully elevated regional and continental interests to the global stage, positioning himself as a primary interlocutor for Africa. Through high-level diplomatic engagements, he championed African interests on critical issues such as climate change and sustainable development, ensuring the continent’s voice was heard in Western capitals and international forums. Furthermore, he played a pivotal role in the transformation of the African Union (AU), helping to transition it from a largely symbolic assembly into a more functional and influential diplomatic institution.
Perhaps his most notable achievement was his ability to navigate the complex geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China. While many African nations felt pressured to align exclusively with one superpower, Meles maintained a pragmatic multi-vector foreign policy, securing productive relationships with both. Recognizing the shift from a unipolar or bipolar world toward a multipolar reality, he was also proactive in cultivating strategic ties with emerging middle powers. By the end of his tenure, Meles had solidified Ethiopia’s position as a linchpin of regional stability and a vital player in the evolving global order.
Unfortunately, the incumbent Prosperity Party administration, led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, has presided over the systematic erosion of the diplomatic capital Ethiopia meticulously built during the Meles Zenawi era and preceding decades. Contrary to his predecessors, Abiy appears to lack a fundamental grasp of regional dynamics, pan-African interests, and the complexities of global geopolitics. The Abiy administration’s diplomacy is basically an infant or toddler attending a university of diplomacy captures the perception of profound inexperience. This immaturity has been clearly displayed in Abiy’s often undignified conduct in international forums. His approach to international relations has often been characterized as amateurish; discussing the current administration’s foreign policy is akin to evaluating a novice attempting to navigate a field that requires seasoned expertise.
This decline is evidenced by a recurring disregard for basic diplomatic etiquette and an inability to navigate sensitive international negotiations. Compounding the issue is the Prime Minister’s arrogance to acknowledge these strategic deficiencies or to delegate foreign policy to career diplomats. Consequently, Ethiopia is experiencing a catastrophic loss of influence. Leadership roles within the Horn of Africa and the wider continent are increasingly being filled by nations such as Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.
Historically, Ethiopian diplomacy was a textbook example of strategic statecraft. From the sophisticated sovereignty-preserving tactics of Emperor Menelik II and the pan-African leadership of Emperor Haile Selassie to the disciplined albeit rigid foreign policy of the Derg and the multi-vector strategic depth of the Meles era, Ethiopia was a cornerstone of African stability. Today, however, that historical prestige is being dismantled, leaving the nation as an insignificant actor on the world stage, susceptible to external pressures and sidelined in critical global discourse.
In today’s world, diplomacy is pivotal to a nation’s future. We stand at a critical juncture in history where every diplomatic decision can profoundly shape a country’s fate. The international system is clearly shifting from a bipolar order toward a multipolar one: the old Western-dominated framework is evolving as middle powers assert themselves economically and militarily. Rapid technological advances are accelerating this transition, amplifying the influence of states such as Russia, Turkey, India, Iran, the Gulf countries, and Brazil. Meanwhile, the EU and Canada are being compelled to recalibrate their diplomatic strategies, and the United States and China remain locked in a tense rivalry for global influence.
In this competitive diplomatic landscape, nations are moving quickly and strategically to secure advantage, deploying their most capable diplomats to navigate complex new realities. Ethiopia, however, is being left behind. The current administration’s inexperienced approach to foreign policy has constrained the country’s ability to seize emerging opportunities and to project influence in the changing world order.
These new and complex realities of global diplomacy could have been a perfect platform for the sophisticated statecraft of Meles Zenawi. Meles did not just participate in diplomacy; he engineered it. His multi-vector approach allowed Ethiopia to reap the benefits of both Western security cooperation and Eastern infrastructure investment, while forging robust alliances with emerging powers across Eurasia and the Middle East. He possessed a rare,intuitive understanding of power dynamics, skillfully navigating the Saudi-Emirati rivalry and transforming regional bodies like IGAD and the African Union into effective instruments of Ethiopian influence.
Perhaps his most enduring diplomatic genius was his ability to weaponize geography for peaceful development. By leveraging Ethiopia’s water resources through the GERD project, he strategically outmaneuvered downstream nations, placing them in a diplomatic quandary that forced a reimagining of regional hydro-politics. This proactive, resource-based diplomacy is exactly what the current global state requires. Ultimately, Meles Zenawi’s seasoned experience and his ability to see the geopolitical chessboard several moves ahead suggest that his leadership style would have been the perfect fit for navigating the intricate and often treacherous diplomatic waters of the 2020s.
In conclusion, Ethiopia today suffers from a diplomacy that too often appears inexperienced and short-sighted, leaving the country materially and reputationally weakened at regional, continental, and global levels. Continued internal conflict under the current leadership has further eroded Ethiopia’s standing and diminished its capacity to project influence, even as state resources are diverted to cosmetic urban projects that resemble municipal priorities rather than strategic national investments. Recovering Ethiopia’s diplomatic footing will require a return to seasoned, strategic statecraft that prioritizes stability, coalition-building, and long-term geopolitical leverage qualities many remember in Meles Zenawi’s approach. I believe that re-embracing that level of experience and strategic vision is essential if Ethiopia is to restore its role as a constructive regional actor.
Editor’s Note: Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com
__
Join our Telegram Channel: t.me/borkena
Like borkena on Facebook
To submit a press release, send the submission to info@borkena.com
Add your business to Ethiopian Business Listing / Ethiopian Business Directory
Join the conversation. Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @zborkena to get the latest Ethiopian news updates regularly.