My part one article titled ?unsolicited advice to PIA in Post PMMZ Era? has received quite many feedbacks ? pro and against the article which was the intended objective of the joiner i.e., to get Eritreans talking in order to find the sources of our problems as the origin of our problem is mostly the making of our leadership. It is our duty to call spades a Spade and let the chips fall where they should be. Today I will try to tackle the point that how did Eritrea managed to have the worst diplomatic relationship with United States in particular and the western world in general.
Is the problem due US in particular and Western nations? in general hostile attitude toward Eritrea because it ?is becoming a ?bad example of good behaviour?, ?promoter of self-sufficient economy?, ?promoter of an independent political line? and so on? Those excuses are daily rations feed to Eritreans by the state controlled media. However, nothing can be further from the truth and the truth is PIA deliberate actions are the root causes of the most despicable diplomatic relationship with the western world never seen in the annals of nation to nation relationships.
Before I try to deal with the hollowness of the above mentioned reasons for the worsened relationship with US administration, let me try to explain the genesis of US-Eritrea relationship in post independence era. Soon, after independence, PIA publicly proclaimed that new Eritrea will establish its diplomatic relations based on existing realities and it will not be victim of pre-independence grudge against countries that were opposing Eritrea?s independence.? US was one of the benefactors of this progressive approach to international diplomacy. This progressive policy enabled Eritrea to establish diplomatic relations with many countries in short period of time. US _Eritrean diplomatic relationship flourished in short period of time. And, PIA started making record trips to United States and making press rounds and presentations in brooking institution, press clubs and so on. It didn?t take PIA to become the darling of the United States and PIA was basking on the glory of the new found love-affair with Uncle Sam!! ?Then PIA was spearheading an American financed alliance against the Turabi?s Sudan. The historical irony is that now PIA is criticizing horn countries for creating alliance in their fight against the savage Alshebabe in Somalia. Actually, PIA was wise to cooperate with US administration as Eritrea was fighting the late Bin laden supported Eritrean Jihad group. Clinton in return for his assistance in containing Turabi?s Sudan and he was labelled as one of ?new breed ?or ?renaissance ?leaders of the dark continent. So far everything is fine and dandy and PIA is the darling of USA administration , he even danced with Hillary Clinton wearing a beautiful traditional Eritrean dress ?in AsmaraJ Mind you, America was then, the ?same America as today?s ?which is run by same group so called ?interested group? .?
Then to the sock of everybody-even the then US ambassador to Eritrea- the war started. NO- US administration DIDN?T ENCOURAGE ETHIOPIA TO START WAR AGAINST ERITREA-PERIOD! I remember Ambassador William Davis Clarke was asked about the eruption of Ethio-Eritrea war and he replied that couldn?t be real. He believed may be the two countries are conducting common military exercise! That was his words and personally I believe him. The war started in very abrupt way in line with PIA shock and owe modus operandi. Yes there were disagreements between TPLF group in Tigray and Eritrean forces in the area. Yes, Seye Abraha was doing his best to instigate tension between the two countries to get at Meles but things took an ugly turn when PIA ordered his generals to create facts on the ground and take over Badme. Why PIA didn?t let the already started negotiation process with Meles regime to sort out border issues before he decided to take over Badme is still mystery to many! Why did PIA played in the hands of Seye and et al who were working day and night to create wedge between PIA and Meles? Meles? desire to solve the problem peacefully was clearly exhibited in his effort to convince his fellow TPLF comarades before he was defeated by majority vote.? As far as the issues surrounding who started an all out of war is concerned , we don?t need to go further than the verdict issued by the commission set up by the Algeres ?agreement to investigate about the this issue-the verdict said PIA started the war. If we accept the border verdict as sacrosanct, we also need to accept the verdict of the commission which points fingers on who actually turned small border issues into an ugly war that consumed the lives of hundreds of thousands on both sides of the border.
?I never thought that I would reach to the conclusion that PIA was singlehandedly responsible for turning? the border skirmishes into an all out war but after analysing the genesis of the war and the actions that followed in the aftermath of the war convinced me that the war was designed for some other ulterior motives. These days the war is used to as an excuse for everything like ? implementing the constitution, normalizing relations with the west,?? demobilizing the troops, supporting rebels of all sorts from around the horn and the list goes on and on?
Why did PIA decided to take military action? Was he very concerned that Meles? insistence that any trade transaction between Ethiopia and Eritrea has to be carried through Letter of Credit as it is done with any other country and PIA saw this as a ploy to destroy Eritrea?s economy and he launched a war to convince Meles to change his course of action as far as his economic policy toward Eritrea? The if that is case why PIA went on with the war plan when he found out that Meles was not about get intimidated on the contrary he was determined to take the war in all fronts? PIA could have softened his attitude when his plan of intimidation didn?t work but he went along with it. Then one battle leads to another one and now we are suffering the consequences of the war until to this day. Was this all the creation of the Americans or the work of special interest groups? ?In fact the truth of the matter was, the Clinton administration did work hard to stop the war and later help both countries to reach an agreement after an ardours road of negotiation. If there was no an American effort, there would be no an Algiers agreement. As simple as that!? Even Suzan rice that is now revenging for PIA?s despicable behaviour toward her when he degraded her as high school graduate when she was working hard with the Rwandan president Paul Kigame to draft some kind of arrangement to thwart the war before it causes immense damage. PIA was not only had a verbal fight with Susan Rice but also degraded Paul Kegame of Rwanda who is until to this day not in speaking term with PIA. Mind you, Paul Kigame had high regard for PIA of Eritrea for his support to stop genocide. Their friendship even reached at the highest level when both countries decided to train their air forces jointly in Eritrea. Sadly, PIA?s arrogance really bruised Paul Kigame?s pride and he decided to distance himself from the peace process and also quietly freezing diplomatic relation with Eritrea. Now the woman who PIA once called as novice and high school graduate diplomat is all grown up and she is US?s Ambassador to UN and soon posed to replacing Hillary Clinton to be US Secretary of State! She was quoted once saying that she will break Eritrea?s arrogance and using her leverage at the UN, she is just doing that! PIA?s of habit burning bridges with the US started with this one and continued unabated until this day! And, of course, US foreign policy is shaped by its national interest and it opted to side with Ethiopia to protect its national interest and refused to force Ethiopia to implement the final and binding border verdict for which US is a guarantor. PIA didn?t take it well and PIA after that openly accused United States for trying to overthrow him during his speech at the nation?s Independence Day ceremony and US ambassador to Eritrea was among the audience and he opted to walk away from the ceremony. Getting ticked by US administration?s siding with Ethiopia, PIA launched a policy of fighting US interest in the horn. His mantra was as much as they influence the world and us, we also have the capacity to influence them in this part of the world. The he started to swallow things he cannot chew. He started to oppose US policy in Somalia and he started to get himself really involved in the nasty Somalia?s clan politics. In fact at one point he placed the Somalia issue above Eritrea?s national interest and he was more Somalian that Somalians themselves.? And, PIA went on campaigning against US anchor nations policy on Africa on every occasion he got a chance.? PIA would invite media outlets to Eritrea to spread his gospel about the decolonization objectives of the United States of America and what have you. Even though all the writings on the wall were showing the Somalian card is dead at arrival, PIA kept hammering it until Eritrea got slapped with sanctions. Even here, when he realized that US is not going to get intimidated by PIA?s actions against his policy in Somalia, he kept on marching to the point Hillary Clinton warning him to ?stop and desist? from his actions or suffer the consequences. He thought it was a bluff and he kept spewing his rhetoric how US is the culprit in the Somalian Affaires. PIA?s action was a windfall for Meles and Meles seized the opportunity and with unreserved support from m the US administration, he worked hard to convince the African Union to lay sanction on member nation for first time in history. Meles once bragged saying that he didn?t face any challenges in convincing his fellow African leaders to slap Eritrea with sanctions, all he added that all he did was showing PIA interviews that show his views on OAU, Somalia and so on.? Now what was PIA expecting? Was he hoping that China would veto any sanction against Eritrea? The 15-0 vote in favour of the sanction is glaring example that Eritrea under PIA has the most horrible diplomacy never seen n the annals of international relations! Well do I need to go to Eritrea?s relation with EU? It is as deplorable as is with USA!! Now all these deliberate actions are designed to ward of an influence from the west and isolate the nation and turn its people into submissive ones. Now thanks to unwise handling of international diplomacy, Eritrea is labelled as an African North Korea or pariah nation.
I laboured through explain all those know facts to drive home the point that US administration is sworn enemy of the Eritrean people! Period. It is PIA who decided to isolate Eritrea by damaging all relations with the west to ward of any influence that come from the western nations to democratize the nation. By isolating the nation and making the nation totally dependent on Chinese loan and investments, PIA has decided to lead the country for the rest of his life? The sad thing is that PIA didn?t have to go through all this. He is loved by his people and he could rule the country. His paranoia is unfounded and it beyond anyone?s belief why he opted to pursue this isolationist policy.? Yemane Gerbera to his credit is now trying to convince the American?s that their hostile policy toward Eritrea is not to the benefit of their national interest. This sign of Eritrea?s softening its unrealistic policy to get US cave in to its line of thinking is indeed a wise decision that should be condoned-better late than never! All the Wikileak facts that Yemane was evoking to justify his line of argument that it is US administration which is waging a hostility toward the Eritrea not the other way around is far from truth as those hostile policies were in response to PIA?s unrealistic policy toward the US administration. Time frame is very important when one tries to understand why US-Eritrean diplomatic relations stoop this low? US hostility toward Eritrea followed PIA?s unrealistic actions against US national interest not the other way around.
What Yemane needs to understand is that if PIA would like improved relations with US and the west, he needs to learn the art of diplomacy which is based on ?give and take?. If he keeps telling them to stay away from asking changes in Eritrea?s internal affairs, those engagements will reach at closed door before even they start.?
For starters, if Eritrea would like to improve its relations with the west, it needs to take some drastic measures internally:
- Implement the constitution which is gathering dust on the presidential shelf
- Pardon political prisoners who are suffering in the prison dungeons around the country
- Re-instate the Eritrean parliament which was illegally abolished
- Stop coercing and hassling Diaspora Eritreans to pay 2 percent taxes and advice Eritrean ambassadors and counsels abroad to do diplomatic tasks than spend all their time to collecting 2 percent and hosting festivals. Think post liberation war era! And behave according Geneva Convention that guides the norms and etiquette of diplomats abroad!
On international front PIA needs to do the following steps if we are going to see any thawing of Eritrea?s diplomatic relations with USA and the west in general:
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- Support international efforts to fight Alshebabe in Somalia and officially condemn the notorious group called Alshebabe as this group is neither good for Somalia nor the horn of Africa. In fact, it is blessing international community is cooperating fighting groups like Alshebabe. Eritrea needs to cooperate with international community in fighting all sorts of religious fundamentalis including our own jihadists stationed in the Sudan and Ethiopia.
- Release Dawit Isaac and improve Eritrea?s relations with Sweden and EU in general. Mind you, Dawit Isaac is deliberately kept in prison to worsen Eritrea?s relation with EU and thereby cut total diplomatic relations to ward off any influence from Europe toward democratization of Eritrea.
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I know my unsolicited advice will fall on deaf ears but at least it has been a therapy for me to let what the truth out!? God bless Eritrea!!
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Source: http://erigazette.org/?p=4045
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