New Book: Ethiopia and The United States - History, Diplomacy and Analysis - By Getachew Metaferia (Ph.D.)

The Horn of Africa is not just a locus of modern-day piracy. It is the keystone in a geostrategic arch where the interests of Ethiopia and her neighbors, including Somalia and Sudan, and all the major world powers, come together.  This informative and authoritative study, the first of its kind by an Ethiopian scholar, presents the history of diplomatic relations and shifting alliances between the United States and Ethiopia in the context of Cold War politics, the role of the Ethiopian Jews (Bete Israel), and the role of Ethiopian diaspora in the West.

Ethiopia and The United States - By Getachew Metaferia (Ph.D.)

 About the Book

The United States and Ethiopia entered into formal relations in 1903, inaugurating a relationship that has been influenced by the domestic political environment, third parties, and global strategic concerns, as well as the personalities of individual policymakers.

This timely and seminal work is the first comprehensive publication that deals with the history of contacts, the diplomatic relations, and the shifting of alliances between the United States and Ethiopia.

For this fascinating examination of more than a century of diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and the United States, Prof. Metaferia interviewed government officials, translated Amharic sources, and consulted archival and declassified documents, and employed his political science expertise in interpreting and analyzing events.

The book begins with historical references that describe how Ethiopia was viewed by ancient civilizations, then moves to an analysis of Ethiopia’s relationship with European powers in the late 19th century which shaped the psyche of its leaders. Ethiopia’s encirclement by potentially hostile colonial powers compelled its leaders to ally with the United States which appeared to have no colonial motives. And the US, despite its isolationist postures, saw commercial and strategic military potential in establishing links with Ethiopia.

Ethio–US relations gradually flourished, and the two countries collaborated on regional security in the Horn of Africa as well as through trade. Ethiopia supported the US during the Korean War and provided a communications base in Asmara. Given Ethiopia’s location between Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Kenya and Uganda, and its long history, it continues to offer the US crucial strategic opportunities.

Yet somehow, despite longtime US contributions to Ethiopia’s development, institutional, and human capacity building, Ethiopia has lagged behind in all indices of development. The book compels its readers to ponder why some countries remain marginalized and how development efforts could have maximum results.

Dr. Metaferia affirms that even friendly relations between nations can potentially fracture as long as donor countries ignore the welfare of aid recipient nations, and he calls for a new paradigm for the establishment of a stable foreign relationship in the rapidly changing power alliances of the 21st century.  

Dr. Getachew Metaferia

 Author:  Dr. Getachew Metaferia teaches political science and international studies at Morgan State University. Dr. Metaferia coedited The Battle of Adwa (Algora 2005) with Dr. Paulos Milkias. His other publications include a book on the exodus of Ethiopia’s educated classes and numerous scholarly articles and book chapters.

Dr. Getachew Metaferia was a Research Affiliate at the University of Zambia and studied human resource development (the training of civil servants) at the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA). A recipient of a Fulbright–Hayes Fellowship award, he visited Namibia, Thailand and Burma (Myanmar) at different times and, as a Freeman Fellow, he visited China. He received his Department’s Distinguished Service Award (2005), Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award (2007, and Outstanding Teaching Award (2008).

Audience

This is a well-documented work that academics, foreign-policy practitioners and the general public will find useful as they seek to understand the current turmoil in Ethiopia and the dynamics of relations between nations more broadly.

Although the focus of the book is on Ethio–US relations, the study and analysis has a wider ramification as it reflects the experiences of various other countries. Students of history, political science, and especially US foreign policy and African studies, development strategists, Ethiopia’s experience with the United States mirrors in a microcosm the experience of many others. The book fills a gap in the libraries of graduate and undergraduate departments of African Studies, US International Relations/ Foreign Policy, and Diplomatic History.

Advance Comments

For over a century Ethiopia and the United States have been engaged in meandering diplomatic relations influenced by major official actors, domestic politics, and world conditions. Professor Getachew Metaferia has provided a balanced, detailed analysis of the diplomatic history of Africa’s longest enduring independent nation and its frequent benefactor from the New World. Based on archival and declassified government documents, interviews, and translations of works in Amharic, Getachew traces the ties between Imperial, socialist, and republican Ethiopian governments and the United States from the Gilded Age through the present.

His research on events from the time of the Carter Administration onward is especially cogent, and his review of the Ethiopian diaspora and its impact on intergovernmental relations is enlightening. Getachew’s work is highly recommended for anyone interested in understanding the roles, both beneficial and otherwise, played by the United States in creating contemporary Ethiopia with all its problems and possibilities. -   Theodore M. Vestal, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, Oklahoma State University, former Associate Director of the Peace Corps in Ethiopia

Getachew Metaferia’s book provides a most comprehensive history of American–Ethiopian relations over the past century. His account provides new insights on that history, the relationship during the Carter presidency, and on the role of the Ethiopian diaspora. It also offers the reader some provocative analyses, particularly of the post-Derg years - David H. Shinn, Former US Ambassador to Ethiopia; Adjunct Professor of Political Science, George Washington University

Professor Metaferia’s work examines the relations between one of the oldest states in continuous existence and the superpower of the present, already on the rise in 1903, when the story in the narrower sense begins — mostly a story of missed opportunities, especially on the part of the United States. Metaferia also gives us an overview of Ethiopian history in the process - Mario D. Fenyo, Professor of History, Bowie State University

This book touches on matters dealing with Ethiopian-U.S. relations and it documents satisfactorily the subtleties as well as the rationally detectable aspects of Cold War diplomacy of the last century. Not only is the author on familiar grounds, but he knows very well the limitations and opportunities buried in the heart of the Ethiopian political imagination - Sulayman Nyang, Professor of African Studies, Howard University

This commendable book comes at a time when the Horn of Africa is unsettled by the political atmosphere that prevails there. This work, the first of its kind by an Ethiopian scholar, exemplifies bold academic effort in comprehensively reviewing the history of the complex relationship between the U.S. and Ethiopia. It is also a grand review which lays down strong foundation for further research.

Its various segments are replete with many fascinating episodes. Dr. Metaferia affirms that peaceful and friendly relations between two nations, no matter how strong and long they last, can potentially fracture as long as donor countries keep ignoring the welfare of aid recipient nations. Dr. Metaferia’s poignant closing remarks assert that a new paradigm is vital for the establishment of a stable foreign relationship in the rapidly changing power alliance of the 21st century - Ayalew Mandefro, Former Ethiopian Ambassador to the United States