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Mr. Obama’s visit to Ethiopia sends the wrong message on democracy

Obama's foreign policy has been a complete disaster. His upcoming trip to Ethiopia will cement this opinion even among his ardent supporters.


Mr. Obama’s visit to Ethiopia sends the wrong message on democracy

By WashingtonPost

“AFRICA DOESN’T need strongmen, it needs strong institutions.” Those were President Obama’s words when he addressed Ghana’s parliament in July 2009, during his first trip to sub-Saharan Africa as president. The historic speech, watched around the globe, was an optimistic clarion call to the leaders on the continent from the son of a Kenyan. “First, we must support strong and sustainable democratic governments,” Mr. Obama said.

The president seems to have forgotten that speech. Last week, the White House announced that, while traveling to Kenya next month, Mr. Obama also will stop in Ethiopia, the first such visit by a sitting U.S. president to the country of 94 million. It’s almost unfathomable that he would make time for an entrenched human rights abuser such as Ethi­o­pia while cold-shouldering the nation that just witnessed a historic, peaceful, democratic change of power: Nigeria.

Administration officials justify the trip by citing the United States’ long-standing cooperation with Ethi­o­pia on issues of regional security and the country’s accelerating economic growth. Ethi­o­pia is a major recipient of U.S. development assistance, and the African Union has its headquarters there. But it also stands out in Africa for its increasingly harsh repression and its escalating chokehold on independent media and political dissent. Since June 2014, 34 journalists have been forced to flee the country, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Ethi­o­pia is also one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists.

The administration already undermined Ethiopia’s struggling journalists and democracy advocates in April, when Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman said Ethi­o­pia has “moved forward in strengthening its democracy. Every time there is an election, it gets better and better.” Shortly after her statement, the ruling party held an election in which it secured 100 percent of the parliamentary seats. That was indeed an improvement upon its 2010 performance, when it won 99.6 percent of seats. In the months ahead of the May 24 polls, opposition party members and leaders were harassed and arrested. The Ethiopian government refused to allow independent election observers, except from the African Union. Since the election, two opposition members and one candidate have been murdered. The government has denied any responsibility for the killings.

Meanwhile, Nigeria, the continent’s most populous nation and the one with the largest economy, overcame risks of electoral violence and Boko Haram’s terrorism to manage a peaceful transfer of power for the first time since the country’s return to democracy in 1999. With numerous African countries facing elections in the next two years, a visit to Nigeria would have signaled U.S. commitment to partnering with governments that respect freedom, the rule of law and the will of their people. Snubbing Nigeria for a trip to Ethi­o­pia sends the opposite message, in essence validat ing Ethiopia’s sham elections and rewarding a regime that has shown no intent to reform. Six years after his idealistic speech in Ghana, Mr. Obama is sending a message to Africa that democracy isn’t all that important after all.
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Mr. Obama’s visit to Ethiopia sends the wrong message on democracy Reviewed by Admin on 12:05 AM Rating: 5

23 comments:

  1. This is predicated upon Obama being a believer in democracy, which he definitely, is not. The US, as a big and rich country, with 300 million people, has only 2 political partys. Plus, in reality, the US is not a democracy but a republic. SHAME BE ON OBAMA!!!

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  2. us, go behind interest and nothing else, now is going to to talk in african union palace to convince them to slow down their engagement with china (economical main threat in africa). But is too late, the eastern dragon already gets business licences for about decades to come from almost all the continent..
    OROMAI

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  3. "Don't you get it yet? My followers don't care about the truth." ~ Barack Obama

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  4. Traitors Acting like opositionJune 25, 2015 at 2:37 AM

    This democracy Bullshit , it's a Tool to fool the People. In Reality the big Company make the politic No matter what for you vote

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  5. the proplem is AFRICAN leaders see U S A like GOD they think they can not servive with out USA this HAVE TO stop the USA will love to be seen as GOD in AFRICA so this is my advice to AFRICAN leaders stop bean MAID for HAND OUT aid dont put your caountry in DANGER

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  6. Obama’s Upcoming Visit to Ethiopia Recognizes Country’s ‘Enormous Importance’ !

    Atlantic Council’s J. Peter Pham applauds decision to add Ethiopia to African itinerary

    http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/obama-s-upcoming-visit-to-ethiopia-recognizes-country-s-enormous-importance

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  7. tplf is the most ass-leaker party we saw in the ethiopian history after that of yohannes which was worst

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  8. Hmmmm When western media have something bad to say about your Eritrea, you insult them and discredit them as paid agents. But when they post something bad about Ethiopia you agree with them wholeheartedly . It's very confusing. Do you agree with them or you don't ? You seem to be confused . Make up your mind. Just my observation....

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  9. WHOSE ASS DID YOHANES LICK? ITALYS?

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  10. BECAUSE HE IS GOING TO STOP OVER IN ETHIOPIA TO ...?

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  11. Proco! You got it!

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  12. SORRY I WANTED TO SAY....LEAK....? TUNCHA

    ReplyDelete
  13. NGO & Humanitarian Organizations Are the ISIS
    of Eritrea

    Most principled nation, hardworking & law abiding people lynched & assaulted nonstop for over half a century by the irrelevant UN and its masters unaccountably & unconscionably. Nevertheless, I believe with every fiber of my being that God, the father of Our Lord Jesus Christ will righteously render justice to the people and government of Eritrea at the right time. I know very well, He is the God who is neither early nor late. As we all Eritreans know full well, there is no justice, specifically for Eritrea in this so called modern world of our time, yet I assure you justice is coming from the above. Let us all expect and it will be herald for sure.

    The cheap shot NGOs & Humanitarian Organizations, like ISIS are now actively engaged in the business of destabilizing nations who refused to succumb to the whims of big nation.
    Is there anyone who would doubt if I tell you that the former US president Bill Clinton strangely declared that the most interesting & formidable NGO of our time is ISIS, yes, ISIS. Check it out yourself in this video. Also watch the whole video and see for yourself how these unscrupulous & dishonest organizations have become most dangerous entities to the peace of the world.
    Specifically, I call upon the gullible and unsuspected Eritreans to watch the video carefully to the end, and then after you will know for sure who really these organizations are and what they are up to. Taking this opportunity it is my pleasure also to thank Madote.com for removing immediately the divisive and
    self-serving article by Dr. Tesfa G Gebremedhin. I wondered why a man of his caliber could ever imagine equating the law abiding government supporters with the vandals, arsonist & hooligans who burned our community & vandalize our Embassies. Anyway I am very grateful for taking a quick action on the most
    divisive articles. Now, here below is the link for the video I
    created. http://tsegag.com/myvideo.html

    ReplyDelete
  14. Please watch the following video
    http://tsegag.com/myvideo.html

    ReplyDelete
  15. Please watch the following video
    http://tsegag.com/myvideo.html

    ReplyDelete
  16. Your ass is leaking ignorance JackAss LOL

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  17. sorry I was to say your brain....LOL LOL LOL

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  18. the n!gga coming home to reward his fellow n!ggas.

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  19. WHY ARE U MAD ; I WAS TRYING TO CORRECT THE LEAK THAT YOUR FRIEND MADE...PLUG IT!!!!

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  20. May be the British to allow them to defeat K. Tedros. It goes on Menilik to Yohannes ....

    ReplyDelete
  21. RE-READ YOUR ETHIOPIAN HISTORY---DEMENT.

    ReplyDelete
  22. OR ONE LIKE ERITREA FOR A BETTER DEMOCRACY?

    ReplyDelete

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