No development assistance at the expense of our national security

By Mussie Iyassu (WIC)
A country, be it impoverished or rich doesn’t allow any other country to meddle in its internal affairs. If rich countries think they can violate the sovereignty and national security of poor nations, they are quite mistaken. There is not whatsoever any single poor nation that implores humanitarian aid at the expense of its national security.
If a sovereign country feels others have gone far against its national interest, it can take whatever legal measure it desire to express its dismay or dissatisfaction over the act. This is its right no other country can grant or deny.
Ethiopia has recently requested the government of Norway to reduce the number of its diplomatic staff in Addis Ababa to three people. In its press statement the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs made official to Oslo that only the Ambassador and other two members of the diplomatic staff could stay in Norwegian Embassy in Addis Ababa.
As it has been gossiped, the Ethiopian government hasn’t made the decision without any further explanation. It rather said in black and white that the decision has been made following Norway’s attempt to “build up image as a regional peace-maker at the expense of the stability and security in the Horn of Africa.”
The official statement clearly indicates why Ethiopia was forced to take a measure that “the government of Norway has been working consistently to acquire leverage with forces of instability in the region”.
A senior government official has also underscored that Ethiopia had taken the measure in opposition to Norway’s act of interference in internal policies and to negative acts it is behind. For instance, Norway is said to have been in favor of the destructive elements in Somalia and the warmonger regime in Eritrea. Contrary to the UN’s peaceful resolution of the border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea, Norway “…has backed new border talks with Eritrea, an idea Ethiopia opposes.”
As a mater of fact, the peace loving community across the world knows the very cause of the 1998-2000’s war between Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is Eritrea that sent its troops and invaded Ethiopia. Professor Haggai Erlich of Tel Aviv University, for instance, once wrote, “Eritrea’s attack on Ethiopia in May 1998 surprised nearly every one concerned”. The other scholar, Paul Henze, indicated in one of his books, “…in May 1998 [Isaias] sent his armies in to border regions that had long been administered by Ethiopia”.
These indicate who is warmonger; who is currently promoting destructive acts in the sub-region. Though Eritrea was asked to pull out its invading force, it didn’t take any action. So there was no any other better alternative for Ethiopia than the military measure. After all such plea, Ethiopia kicked the invading Sha’ebia force out of its territory. Paul Henze in his book, Eritrea’s War, states regarding the victory of Ethiopia, “…Ethiopian forces taught the Ertrean’s a bitter lesson and brought the confrontation to an end”.
Then, realizing this bare fact Norway has been trying to sympathize with rogue regime in Asmara, which is supporting insurgent elements in Somalia and Ethiopia. We do not expect such a thing from Norway, which claims to be a democrat.
One time Norway’s State Secretary Raymond Johanson said at a lecture he gave in South Africa that Norway “has made it know that it considers Ethiopia’s ‘refusal’ is the main source of the stalemate between Ethiopia and Eritrea”.
The individual further stated, “Eritrea’s violation of the TSZ is a direct result of Ethiopia’s unwillingness to accept the ruling”.
It is after such indecent defamation from the Norwegian side Ethiopia was forced to take a measure, which it said timely, and appropriate.
The other thing is that Norway is not in favor of Ethiopia’s decision to take a self-defensive measure against the terrorist groups barricaded themselves in the war-ravaged Somalia. It seems that Norway doesn’t want to see or rather openly condemn the dangers being inflicted by Islamic Court Union against the civilian Ethiopians. It rather links Ethiopia’s defensive measure in Somalia to the border dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia.
We can also see other issue that dismayed Ethiopia. A news source in Kenya wrote recently, “Norway has backed new border talks with Eritrea, an idea Ethiopia opposes”. This act of Norway is, first and foremost, against the ruling passed by the Security Council of UN to resolve the dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Though I have not any available confirmation issued by the Ethiopian side, what Norway has been doing without Ethiopia’s consent is completely dissatisfaction to one side.
Forcing Ethiopia, a sovereign state, to bow down to impositions doesn’t mean any thing but interfering in its internal affairs or acting against its policy. This is unacceptable whatsoever!
Being accused of undermining national security and spreading instability in the Horn of Africa, the Norwegian government has repeatedly been asked to refrain from its distractive acts; but it did not take a heed. According to an Ethiopian senior government official, the Ethiopian government has “repeatedly raised the issue with Norwegian officials; [and] warned them to refrain from interfering in [Ethiopia’s] internal affairs”. However, Norway ignored all these earlier warnings.
Following the measure taken by Ethiopia, the Norwegian government decided to cut aid to Ethiopia. Norwegian Foreign Minister, Jonas Gahr Stoere told a local news source, Aftenposten, that his country cut 30 million Kroner (about 5.2 million USD) in aid.
Associated press reported regarding the issue, “Ethiopia’s decision to expel six Norwegian diplomats will cost the country US $ 5 million in development aid.”
This implies that had Ethiopia not expelled the Norwegian diplomats, it would have been provided with the development aid. Mind you, to get the development aid, Ethiopia should bow down to Norway’s demand of meddling in its internal affairs. Don’t they say their aid is “humanitarian?” What does this mean? Does this mean the receiver should pay something in return? This is what we call “scratch my back so that I can scratch yours”.
Norway’s measure of cutting aid does imply that the “impoverished” (this word has repeatedly been used by the Norwegian side) Ethiopia should not raise any question of internal affairs or a thing like that if it needs the “humanitarian” aid from that country. What I understand from the implication is that the “humanitarian” aid Norway is giving is nothing else but a tip thrown to only submissive servants or what they refer to as impoverished countries. What they should understand here is that black people like we Ethiopians do not allow anybody to disparage us or interfere in our internal affairs in the name of “humanitarian aid”. What they do for us should not be at the expense of our national security.
What the Asian Tribune wrote in its issue of August 31, 2007 surprises many of us. The paper says: “Shocked by the expulsion of six diplomats, Norway has reacted by cutting aid to Ethiopia.”
Why was the “Shock”? After all, is it not their money? They can do whatever they like with their own money. But it is not advisable for them to get shocked by the unexpected measure taken by the “impoverished” African country to expel the diplomats, “who have been accused of interfering in Ethiopia’s domestic affairs”. Did the shock happen when they hear something they did not expect from an “impoverished” country? I can’t read their mind.
What I can say here now is that it is surprising to hear from Norway about its measure of retaliation in banning development aid to Ethiopia. According to Asian Tribune, “political commentators are concerned that Erik Solheim, Minister of International Development, and who claims to be from socialist left, is using aid to manipulate Ethiopian politics”.
The paper further states that Erik Solheim, a failure in his peace moves in Sri-Lanka, is now using aid to retaliate against Ethiopia for expelling Norwegian diplomats who have been accused of interfering in Ethiopia’s domestic affairs.
What should be noted here is that it is for the second time Norway cut off development aid to Ethiopia. In May 2000 it canceled all bilateral development aid to Ethiopia with the objective of “promoting peace and democracy” in Ethiopia. Only Norwegian officials know how peace and democracy can be promoted by banning development aid to a developing nation! It would have been much better if they had mentioned of a country that built democracy without being encouraged by various incentives including development aid.
In 2000, when Norway cut off the development aid, Ethiopia was engaged in war with Eritrea. People were taken aback by the untimely and surprise measure. The then act of Norway was aimed at influencing the domestic policy of Ethiopia. This untimely, probably deliberate aid cut, however, didn’t bring about any influence against Ethiopia, which emerged victorious in the war with the hawkish regime in Asmara. “Research scholars argue that this Norwegian policy of using aid to interfere in domestic policy has failed.”