Every once in a while you are excited to read something new. It is even more exciting when this little gem comes along and gels perfectly with what you have been advocating for quite sometime. Of course, rarely do we ever get exactly what we want so you should always read the fine print.
By this point I am sure that you are wondering what I could possibly be talking about, after all, hasn’t it been a somewhat I quite news period for Eritrea? Well it has, but on 6 August 2009 a new “expert brief” from the Council on Foreign Relations was issued wherein the author suggested, “…the U.S.-Ethiopia alliance has had short-term tactical advantages, it may be undermining broader US counterterror goals.” ((http://www.cfr.org/publication/19982/us_policy_shift_needed_in_the_horn_of_africa.html)) If this comment had come from almost any other organization I would have ignored it, however, the CFR has considerable clout (as a Washington think tank) and could actually influence policy.
The author, Bronwyn E. Bruton, does not simply stop there, but she continues with critical analysis of the US-Ethiopian relationship:
“…the Ethiopian government’s behavior in recent years, both domestically and in bordering states, poses mounting difficulties for the United States and its long-term goals in the region. Washington must be prepared to press its partner to alter its strong-handed approach […] or consider ending the relationship.”
Indeed Ms. Bruton, song which has been sung by Eritreans for nigh a decade but to no avail. Alas, perhaps with an organization as well respected as the Council on Foreign Relations, and not just a small upstart country, some real change will happen. After all, these are the times of change are they not?
Finally, as regards Somalia, the clearest yet definition of Eritrea’s involvment has been presented by the Eritrean ambassador to Kenya. In an interview with the patternly villifying BBC, the ambassador said, “…[we have a] moral and legal obligation to support the Somalis…[but had no right to]…bring or establish a government for the Somalis…We believe in a united Somalia. Not like our neighbours who want to sub-divide it into cantons. Let the Somalis solve their problems themselves.” ((http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8192882.stm)) Need the Government of Eritrea be anymore clear? I think not!
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