<
http://www.ethiopianreview.net/index/?p=44197> Meles Zenawi, America's
"son-of-a-bitch"
EthiopianReview.com | September 8th, 2012
By Olaana Abbaaxiiqii
On August 20, following Ethiopia's meticulously choreographed funeral for
former dictator, Meles Zenawi, which was designed to buttress his legacy, a
friend asked me to <
http://www.ethiopianreview.net/index/?p=43717> listen
to the United States Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice's encomium on the
deification ceremony. I obliged but regret doing so because I came out a
cynic.
It is no secret that US national interests trump human rights and democracy.
In an oft repeated quote, Franklin D. Roosevelt said of US ally Nicaraguan
dictator Anastasio Somoza: "He may be a son of a bitch, but he's our son of
a bitch."
In the past, the US had pampered dictators like the Shah of Iran, Mobutu
Sesse Seko of Zaire, and the CIA engineered the assassination of
democratically elected leaders in Latin America and other places to install
their puppets. Now that the Cold War is over, I believed those were things
of the past, and that American foreign policy is, by and large, centered on
the "singular greatness of American ideals, and their proven capacity to
inspire a better world." Besides, we were told, with a new dawn of "American
leadership" on the horizon, America is back and ready to lead, again.
In his historic inauguration speech, President Barack Obama proclaimed: "to
those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of
dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will
extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."
On that momentous occasion, watched by millions around the world, "from the
grandest capitals" to the smallest villages, little did we know that those
were just words - used only for convenience and discarded at will. The more
things changed the more they stayed the same. And even trivial and
ill-conceived US strategic interests trump over people's aspirations for
freedom, liberty and democracy around the world.
Mrs. Rice's encomium for the Ethiopian dictator was not only a reflection of
a moral decadence of American diplomats, especially those covering Africa,
but also a grand betrayal of the courageous ideals put forth by America's
founding fathers .
From her perch at the UN office, Susan Rice, does not see or feel the
suffering, killing and humiliation that Zenawi had inflicted upon millions
of his countrymen. Even if she did, since Meles implemented their wishes
around Africa, everything else got secondary consideration.
The Oxford dictionary defines dictator as "a ruler with total power over a
country, typically one who has obtained control by force." Meles Zenawi,
Ambassador Rice's "consistently reasoned" friend, meets this definition on
all accounts.
For 17 long-years, he wielded an immense power as the PM of Ethiopia and
Chairman of the ruling coalition, the EPRDF. Prior to that he served five
years as President of Ethiopia. He has been the head of Tigrean Peoples
Liberation Front, the powerful coalition partners, since 1989. He was the
Commander-in-Chief of the Ethiopian army. Oh! He also took over the reigns
of power after violent overthrow of Mengistu Hailemariam, the communist
boogieman.
Over the years, Zenawi, whom Mrs. Rice called, an "uncommonly wise [leader
who was] - able to see the big picture and the long game" single-handedly
closed the political space, dismantled the free media, enfeebled the
opposition, and ruled the country by pitting rival groups against one
another.
Meles was not my friend and I cannot attest to his personal qualities. But,
unlike Susan Rice, I have intimate knowledge, personal experience, and
direct accounts from people whom he brutalized and lorded over. Rather than
his personal qualities in the abstract, I judge Zenawi based on what his
policy did to my people. It is on that basis I pass judgment on Mrs. Rice's
eulogy.
So, who was Meles Zenawi to an average Ethiopian?
Zenawi had his hands soaked with bloods of thousands of innocent Ethiopians.
Shortly after he joined the TPLF as a young fighter, Zenawi rose to the top
of the organization through Machiavellian intrigue and his depraved actions.
He allegedly ordered the execution of his own compatriots who disagreed with
him. Even after coming to power in 1991, Zenawi maintained his ironclad rule
by constantly purging those seen as a threat, real or imagined, to his
power, including his own former comrades in arms.
True to a form of a real dictator, Zenawi never tolerated differing ideas
and competitions. A typical megalomaniac, the "great leader" loved
surrounding himself with equally sycophant yes-men. Unlike many other
dictators, he was an ever-morphing actor. While he tormented the people of
Ethiopia, Zenawi only showed his softer, caring, and smiling face to his
foreign friends who adored his intellect, wicked sense of humor, and his
intolerance for "for fools, or 'idiots,' as he liked to call them." It is
true that Zenawi had no patience for journalists, opposition leaders and
anyone who dared to criticize him. That is why he institutionalized
criminalization of dissent by devising draconian "laws" like "the deeply
flawed anti-terrorism legislation" or the anti-NGO law.
The Ethiopian people who suffered the brunt of Zenawi's brutality did not
see his humane side, because he did not show it to them. To call Zenawi, a
brute, wise, as Mrs. Rice did, is to demean the word or insult our
intelligence. I agree with Mrs. Rice that Meles was a very smart man;
however, this does not absolve his crimes. In fact, this is what made him
all the more dangerous. Zenawi's security forces committed crimes in the
shadow of darkness. He filled prisons with opponents and ordered their
torture in dark cells. Many of his opponents simply vanished - never to be
heard from again in two decades.
Meles was not "selfless," he had a depraved heart. During his guerrilla
years, he devised tactics and strategies that showed his callous disregard
for human life. After taking over the helm, he built a secretive regime
whose existence depended on systematic repression and zeal to win at any
cost.
Zenawi's unhealthy obsession for winning became evident during the
Ethio-Eritrean war of 2000. This senseless war over a barren wasteland of
few kilometers took more than 100 thousand lives. He sent thousands of
non-Tigrean foot soldiers as minesweepers before the well-trained elite
Tigrean soldiers were deployed. The carnage Zenawi inflicted upon millions,
in deadly competition with his ex-best-friend turned enemy number one,
Isaias Afewarki - over a minor conflict that could have been settled through
diplomatic channels - is a testament to his depraved soul. It is beyond any
reasonable imagination why Zenawi spent over one billion dollars on
armaments, $480 million in 1999 alone, while large parts of the country was
suffering from famine.
Contrary to claims that Zenawi "lifted millions out of poverty, hunger, and
strife,"he had no compassion for the suffering of others. Everything was a
fair game so long as he gained from it. When he invaded Somalia in 2006, a
large portion of Ogaden, the Somali-region of Ethiopia where Zenawi faced
fierce resistance in recent years, was under the threat of famine. Zenawi
didn't care as long as the US foreign aid checks kept flowing.
In her hagiography, Susan Rice said, the young Meles was "spurred" to action
by a "torment of terrible time" to drive out another "strongman who had
turned Ethiopia into a parched field of sorrow." But she forgot to add or
deliberately ignored, Zenawi actually used the famine stricken people of
Tigray for his political gains, by forcing them to flee to Sudan in
thousands so that his organization could prove Dergue's atrocities to the
international community. Having successfully convinced donors that "a famine
of biblical proportions" was taking place, TPLF cashed Bob Geldof's Band Aid
and Live Aid money to buy weapons.
At the time when the 1984 famine became a public embarrassment for the
communist regime, Zenawi's rebel group, the TPLF, controlled most of Tigray
- an area severely affected by famine. As BBC's Martin Plaut reported in
2010, channeling the relief aid through the TPLF "was the only way of
reaching those in desperate need" in areas the rebels - fighting to take
down the Dergue - controlled. As a TPLF army commander at the time, Aregawi
Berhe, told Plaut: TPLF "made a policy decision that only five percent of
the money received.would be spent on relief, with the bulk going directly or
indirectly to support their military and political campaigns." The remaining
95 percent "was allocated to buying weapons and building up a hard-line
Marxist political party within the rebel movement."
Mrs. Rice also forgot to mention what a senior US diplomat, Robert Houdek,
who was in Ethiopia around late 1980s told Plaut, the TPLF members admitted
"at the time that some aid money and supplies was used to buy weapons" - a
fact also corroborated by CIA documents.
Instead of remaking "himself overnight from guerrilla to a statesman" as
Susan Rice would have us believe, in the words of former Ethiopian president
Negaso Gidada, whom he appointed, Zenawi became "a replica of the very
strongman he replaced"- Mengistu Hailemariam. The genocide in Gambela, the
carpet-bombing of villages and nomadic settlements in Ogaden, the more than
4,407 extra judicial killings of Oromo nationalists and over 900
disappearances, the 2002 Awassa killings, the 2005 killing of more than 200
people on the streets of Addis Ababa, were sufficient to land him in the
International Criminal Court. However, thanks to his powerful friends and
apologists like Susan Rice, Meles walked free in life and is lionized in
death.
Fortunately, theirs won't be the last word. A time will come when the
peoples of Ethiopia write Zenawi's true legacy. His historical verdict will
not be based on the subjective personal accounts of a friend, but rather on
the objective evidence of his victims: the voices of thousands of prisoners
who languished and are still languishing in Zenawi's dungeons and endure
torture, stories of refugees who run away fearing Zenawi's intimidation and
etc.
The hopes of millions who yearned to live in freedom but instead suffered
indignities by Zenawi's policy will be told. The names of those who were
killed by Zenawi's forces would be inscribed on a stone as our heroes. We
will put Zenawi's name besides Mengistu Hailemariam, in the hall of shame,
so that the future generation remembers them for the atrocities they
committed against our people. Zenawi was not the father of our rebirth, but
we hope he will be the end of our misery.
Susan Rice did not appear in the apotheosis drama just as a friend of Meles,
but she led an official delegation to the funeral as a representative of the
US government. She forgot that her words have serious implications beyond
her personal feelings for Meles. Mrs. Rice's insensitive eulogy will be
remembered as the Obama administration's endorsement of personality cult
over institutional building, dictatorship over freedom, and minority over a
majority rule.
Since her days as assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Mrs. Rice played
a very important role in promoting the TPLF government. She remained a true
friend to Zenawi until the end. She was instrumental in the Clinton
administration's naming of Zenawi as one of the new generation of African
leaders. With a request from Zenawi, Rice did her best to categorize the
Oromo Liberation Front as a terrorist organization, but failed. She
exhibited a behavior so unbecoming of a diplomat in her zeal to defend
Zenawi's government.
It's time for all Ethiopian-Americans to reconsider their overwhelming
support to Obama during his first election. We should not be taken for
granted.
The Ethiopian government spends millions of dollars to lobby the US
government through firms like DLA Piper and others. It's not clear whether
Mrs. Rice's affection for Meles was partly sustained by DLA Piper's lobbing
efforts. At the very least, Mrs. Rice's judgment was clouded by the close
personal relationship she had with Meles.
However, as a seasoned diplomat, she should not have allowed her personal
feelings to run amok and take the best part of her. She should have shown a
minimum of sensitivity to thousands, who were killed, imprisoned, tortured
and became refugees as a result of Zenawi's policies. Those "fools and
idiots" were freedom fighters to millions or press freedom advocates who
wanted to see better Ethiopia. We may be fools, we may be idiots, but one
thing is for sure: we have an enduring cause, truth, and justice on our
side. I am confident that in the final analysis, freedom and liberty will
triumph over tyranny.
With the following wise words of Martin Luther King, until next time:
I know you are asking today, "How long will it take?..
I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, however
frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because truth crushed to earth
will rise again.
How long? Not long, because no lie can live forever.
How long? Not long, because you shall reap what you sow..
How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it
bends toward justice.
(The writer can be reached at olaanaabbaaxiiqi_at_yahoo.com. The article was
originally posted on opride.com)
------------[ Sent via the dehai-wn mailing list by dehai.org]--------------
Received on Sat Sep 08 2012 - 16:56:56 EDT
