Remember Gérard Prunier's moment of brutal honesty on "The Debate" yesterday?
Here is a rather long 🧵 to try and unpack his statement, and hopefully clarify why we see a lot of mixed signals in what the US/EU/UN is (not) doing about #TigrayGenocide
Here is a rather long 🧵 to try and unpack his statement, and hopefully clarify why we see a lot of mixed signals in what the US/EU/UN is (not) doing about #TigrayGenocide
https://twitter.com/sirarwa/status/1407586215734525953
1 —
That @AbiyAhmedAli could be a US plant should come as no surprise.
March 2019: US Amb Michael Raynor said, "We are embedding senior US government officials at key Ethiopian economic ministries and operations for a sustained period of time.”
bbc.com/news/world-us-…
That @AbiyAhmedAli could be a US plant should come as no surprise.
March 2019: US Amb Michael Raynor said, "We are embedding senior US government officials at key Ethiopian economic ministries and operations for a sustained period of time.”
bbc.com/news/world-us-…
2 —
June 2018: US delivers C-130 aircraft to Ethiopia.
“We are excited to deliver this C-130 at a time of such great optimism. This handover pays homage [...] lays the foundation for new possibilities for cooperation and interoperability.”
et.usembassy.gov/u-s-government…
June 2018: US delivers C-130 aircraft to Ethiopia.
“We are excited to deliver this C-130 at a time of such great optimism. This handover pays homage [...] lays the foundation for new possibilities for cooperation and interoperability.”
et.usembassy.gov/u-s-government…
3 —
Abiy also had the explicit endorsement of right-wing conservative evangelicals in the Senate.
Here is Sen. Inhofe presenting a pathological liar as a qualified head of state:
inhofe.senate.gov/newsroom/press…
Abiy also had the explicit endorsement of right-wing conservative evangelicals in the Senate.
Here is Sen. Inhofe presenting a pathological liar as a qualified head of state:
inhofe.senate.gov/newsroom/press…
4 —
His "economic" strategy involved aggressive liberalization and dressing up WB/IMF's catastrophic structural adjustment programs as "homegrown economic" agendas.
His "economic" strategy involved aggressive liberalization and dressing up WB/IMF's catastrophic structural adjustment programs as "homegrown economic" agendas.
https://twitter.com/addis_fortune/status/1176821251484114945
5 —
For economic context, here's former PM Meles Zenawi capturing perfectly the reasons why certain programs are guaranteed to fail in Ethiopia, while others have a better chance of slowly pulling the country out of poverty.
Make time for this video:
For economic context, here's former PM Meles Zenawi capturing perfectly the reasons why certain programs are guaranteed to fail in Ethiopia, while others have a better chance of slowly pulling the country out of poverty.
Make time for this video:
6 —
US foreign policy is largely driven by self-interest. And in spite of his heinous war crimes + ethnic cleansing, it would still want Abiy to "succeed.
"
So the US will condemn him but they won’t FULLY commit to meaningful punitive measures.
US foreign policy is largely driven by self-interest. And in spite of his heinous war crimes + ethnic cleansing, it would still want Abiy to "succeed.
"
So the US will condemn him but they won’t FULLY commit to meaningful punitive measures.
https://twitter.com/PatrickHeinisc1/status/1407296812847964164
7 —
Why?
Because money.
And power.
And the proxy war with China for tech and influence the Horn (and the continent).
wsj.com/articles/u-s-c…
Why?
Because money.
And power.
And the proxy war with China for tech and influence the Horn (and the continent).
wsj.com/articles/u-s-c…
8 —
“... for a long time the US has viewed Africa as a battlefield where it can confront its enemies ... Washington has never really made a concerted effort to develop its economic relations with the continent.” — @DrMehari
aljazeera.com/opinions/2019/…
“... for a long time the US has viewed Africa as a battlefield where it can confront its enemies ... Washington has never really made a concerted effort to develop its economic relations with the continent.” — @DrMehari
aljazeera.com/opinions/2019/…
9 —
“We have to acknowledge that we helped to contribute to Abiy’s view of himself. We papered over these challenges very early. We gave him a blank check. When it went wrong, we initially turned a blind eye. And now it may be too late.” — @JDevermont
nytimes.com/2021/06/21/wor…
“We have to acknowledge that we helped to contribute to Abiy’s view of himself. We papered over these challenges very early. We gave him a blank check. When it went wrong, we initially turned a blind eye. And now it may be too late.” — @JDevermont
nytimes.com/2021/06/21/wor…
10 —
Let’s quickly pivot to an EU country, France.
July 2019: Remember when Abiy wrote a personal letter to Macron begging to buy weapons on credit? @LePoint published the leaked letter, which was (rightfully) laughed off as an outrageous ask
lepoint.fr/monde/la-franc…
Let’s quickly pivot to an EU country, France.
July 2019: Remember when Abiy wrote a personal letter to Macron begging to buy weapons on credit? @LePoint published the leaked letter, which was (rightfully) laughed off as an outrageous ask
lepoint.fr/monde/la-franc…
11 —
That was then.
Now, the EU has repeatedly been warned that the “Tigray crisis” is “out of control,” and as a result, they have suspended their ~€88M support of the Ethiopian budget.
reuters.com/article/us-eth…
That was then.
Now, the EU has repeatedly been warned that the “Tigray crisis” is “out of control,” and as a result, they have suspended their ~€88M support of the Ethiopian budget.
reuters.com/article/us-eth…
12 —
And yet, just yesterday, this happened with France and Italy:
And yet, just yesterday, this happened with France and Italy:
https://twitter.com/addisstandard/status/1407357263560515593
13 —
Put simply: the fact that US/EU/UN are paying mostly lip service is by design. They do not want to take any meaningful punitive/restrictive measure unless their hand is ABSOLUTELY forced. And we may be getting to that point. Slowly.
Put simply: the fact that US/EU/UN are paying mostly lip service is by design. They do not want to take any meaningful punitive/restrictive measure unless their hand is ABSOLUTELY forced. And we may be getting to that point. Slowly.
14 —
What I'm sure they would prefer is a total military victory by Abiy and subsequent market liberalization, facilitated by a unitarian and superficially homogenous state led by a "constitutionally validated president."
"Why would they prefer that?" you may ask.
What I'm sure they would prefer is a total military victory by Abiy and subsequent market liberalization, facilitated by a unitarian and superficially homogenous state led by a "constitutionally validated president."
"Why would they prefer that?" you may ask.
15 —
Because you know what gets in the way of an aggressive neoliberal economic agenda?
A federal state where each state has enough autonomy to effectively push back against imperialist economic measures that would have devastating long-term consequences.
Because you know what gets in the way of an aggressive neoliberal economic agenda?
A federal state where each state has enough autonomy to effectively push back against imperialist economic measures that would have devastating long-term consequences.
16 —
In short:
Keep the pressure on to make these economic vampires act in favor of humanity, and against their own economic interests.
A TDF victory is imminent. I’m sure of it. No matter how slow and protracted, fascism always loses.
#TigrayWillPrevail #TigrayIsPrevailing
In short:
Keep the pressure on to make these economic vampires act in favor of humanity, and against their own economic interests.
A TDF victory is imminent. I’m sure of it. No matter how slow and protracted, fascism always loses.
#TigrayWillPrevail #TigrayIsPrevailing
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