Blog

Wichale: The Attempt to Establish a Protectorate over Ethiopia

Wichale: The Attempt to Establish a Protectorate over Ethiopia

On May 2, 1889, Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia and Count Pietro Antonelli of Italy signed the Treaty of Wichale. Menelik had a relatively long relationship with Italy in his rise to power, and the Italians supported him as he sought to become Emperor. The Treaty of Wichale, according to the Italian version, gave Italy […]

Tags: #Ethiopia #History #Menelik II #Sven Rubenson #Wichale

Thought Provokers
Can Intervention Work?

Can Intervention Work?

Crises call for action. Bosnia, Somalia, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Yemen… The international community has responded to countries experiencing crisis in a range of ways, from heavy-handed military action to neglect. Have the activities achieved their objective? And, if not, what might be do differently in responding to crises in the future? This is the […]

Tags: #Development #Humanitarian #International community #Intervention

Thought Provokers
Ethiopia’s First Land Tenure Study

Ethiopia’s First Land Tenure Study

In 1965, H. S. Mann published “Land Tenure in Chore (Shoa): A Pilot Study” (data collection took place in 1963). It was Ethiopia’s first land tenure study. It is a product of the Haile Sellassie I University, one of the many great publications that emerged during this time period – and which are increasingly difficult […]

Tags: #Ethiopia #Haile Sellassie I University #Land #Land rights #Land Tenure

Thought Provokers
Ethiopia: Victorious Struggle Against Fascism

Ethiopia: Victorious Struggle Against Fascism

The Derg / military government era of Ethiopia (1974-1991) is often glossed over as a terrible period, epitomized by the ‘red terror’ that rooted out any opposition and eliminated it. As a result, while there is much documentation on the atrocities, less is known about the rest of the social, political, ideological and legal aspects. […]

Tags: #Derg #Ethiopia #Fascism #History #Ministry of Information

Thought Provokers
A History of Modern Ethiopia

A History of Modern Ethiopia

Bahru Zewde has penned some excellent books: The Challenge of Democracy from Below (2002), Pioneers of Change (2002) and The Quest for Socialist Utopia (2014). This post covers “A History of Modern Ethiopia 1855-1991” (originally published in 1991, second edition in 2001). Richard Pankhurst, one of the great historians for Ethiopia, described Bahru Zewde as […]

Tags: #Bahru Zewde #Ethiopia #History #Italian legacy #Iyyasu

Thought Provokers
The Last Post-Cold War Socialist Federation

The Last Post-Cold War Socialist Federation

Semahagn Gashu Abebe’s “The Last Post-Cold War Socialist Federation: Ethnicity, Ideology and Democracy in Ethiopia” (2014) offers a wealth of insight in Ethiopian federalism, with a particular strength of offering depth of constitutional context. Of recent, much has been said of Ethiopia’s “developmental state” approach, less about its “revolutionary democracy”. Semahagn provides useful context on […]

Tags: #Contradictions #Developmental state #Ethiopia #Federalism #Revolutionary democracy

Thought Provokers