U.S.’ Policy in Horn of Africa Untenable

December 26, 2021

BY MISGANAW ASNAKE

ADDIS ABABA—The Horn must be anchored in the peculiarity of each country, context, and accommodation of independent domestic policy choices by the concerned governments, Permanent Representative of Eritrea to the United Nations, Ambassador Sophia Tesfamariam said.

The U.S. tendency to perceive local players as mere subordinates to major global and Middle Eastern countries is flawed and untenable and its archaic policies of regime change remain misguided and dangerous as refugee-making. Washington should not see the Horn of Africa, with its dynamic and fast-changing demographics, as a pawn or pliable tool in its competition and rivalry with China, India or Russia, she added.

U.S. policy in the Horn of Africa for the past 70 years has failed to approach the region from a position of symmetry and perspectives that advance U.S. strategic interests, as well as those of individual countries as a whole, she said.

The Horn such as Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia has been at the center of global attention for several decades. Unfortunately, the attention has not translated into coherent policies for the peoples of the region. It has instead entailed great suffering on the peoples of the region who have to bear the brunt of successive reckless and inhumane policies, she stated.

As to her, prevalent tendency to see the Horn collectively or individually states through the prism of the U.S.’ rivalry with its global competitors must be discarded. Such policies did not serve the interests of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia or the region, and even the United States. Unfortunately, the follies of the past century are not being redressed even today.

“An approach that centers on the welfare of Horn populations could position the United States as a friend of the Horn. The U.S. should reset its policy on the Horn, in order to address strategic issues of interest to all sides. The relegation of policy-making to subordinates, with wrongly entrenched views and bias has been costly and so many innocent lives lost.” The Horn has to have the U.S. policy based upon real situation and actual facts, after that the U.S. will have more loyal friends everywhere.

The Ethiopian Herald December 26/2021