Addis Abeba, Oct. 16/2017 - Appearing in court for the first time after the court's summer recess, Dr. Merera Gudina has pleaded his innocence against all criminal charges brought by the federal prosecutors.The defense team told the court that Dr. Merera's plea of innocence was
Two failed political experiments in forty-three years – what will be the next experiment?
Alem Mamo, for Addis Standard
Addis Abeba, Oct. 10/2017 – The existence of various ethnic groups within a sovereign state territory presents a positive potential for constructive social, economic, political, and cultural collaboration and partnership that could be a force for building an enduring national political structure benefiting all citizens. On the other hand, however, ethnic identity, and most importantly its interpretation, could be vulnerable to political manipulation by those holding political power to serve as a rationale and justification for exclusion and dehumanization of the “other” and eventually for the unleashing of organized violence. In almost all cases of such violence, the development of a well-constructed narrative that amplifies and exploits the perceived or real differences to the point of dehumanization is a premeditative launching pad for violence and war against a particular group or groups.
The official narrative and the federalism to come Tsegaye R Ararssa, Special to Addis Standard Addis Abeba, September 20/2017 - In this series of reflections, I touched upon the major stages in the evolution of the Ethiopian experiment with federalism. I highlighted the range of stories that
