Edmond J. Keller

Drought, War, and the Politics of Famine in Ethiopia and Eritrea

During almost two decades, beginning in the early 1970s, the Horn of Africa was racked by the ravages of hunger and war. Natural disasters are not new to the region, which historically could count on at least seven major droughts each century, but in the current era they have been increasing, in part due to massive deforestation and the changing pattern of weather. It is estimated that in Ethiopia alone, because of soil erosion and deforestation, 30,000 million tons of top-soil are lost each year. A second important factor affecting the severity of famine has been the dramatic escalation in the level and intensity of civil conflict, nowhere more evident than in Ethiopia.

The Impact of Black Mayors on Urban Policy

This article is an exploratory assessment of whether or not black mayors, as compared to white mayors, demonstrate patterned differences in their policy preferences and expenditures. It is hypothesized that black mayors are inclined to spend more on welfare related items than on other budgetary items. Employing urban expenditure data over time in six cities and focusing upon seven expenditure categories, it is found that, as a rule, black mayors do not differ greatly from white mayors in the way they spend. However, their preferences do seem to differ. Black mayors, even when they would like to, are constrained from spending according to their preferences. It is argued that differences in expenditure patterns are highly conditioned by environmental and structural factors. Suggestions are made for further research.

The Ethnogenesis of the Oromo Nation and Its Implications for Politics in Ethiopia

The end of the cold war has coincided with, and in some cases fuelled, the politicisation of ethnically based nationalism, particularly in Eastern Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. The international political environment had previously been characterised by ideological competition and conflict between the United States on the one hand and the Soviet Union and Communist China on the other. Both of these ideological camps stressed the cohesion and viability of multi-ethnic nation-states, and as a matter of policy discouraged the representation of groups based upon a distinctive ethnic identity, 1 a tendency reinforced in social science scholarship, which often focused on what was described as the process of national political integration. To the extent that it existed and was relevant, scholars generally agreed that ethnic solidarity was different from nationalism in that it did not require the creation of an ethnically pure nation-state. Today, however, the notion of the inviolability of certain internationally recognised entities is being seriously called into question as ethnic groups assert their right to self-determination up to, and including, separation from the multi-ethnic state.

Africa-U.S. Relations: Strategic Encounters

Contents: Africa and the United States: Meeting the Challenges of Globalization - E.J. Keller. Confronting Security Challenges. African Peacekeeping - S. Rugumamu. A Strategic Approach to Terrorism - P.N. Lyman. US Intervention in Africas Ethnic Conflicts: The Scope for Action - D. Rothchild and N. Emmanuel. The Special Case of the Horn of Africa - R. Iyob and E.J. Keller. Confronting Societal Challenges. Human Security - C. Thomas. HIV/AIDS in Africa - S.F. Joireman. Foreign Interests and Environmental Degradation - C. Obi. Confronting Economic Challenges. Debt and Debt Relief - T. Callaghy. Aid and Trade Policies: Shifting the Debate - F. Cheru. Conclusion. Trends in US-Africa Relations: Implications for the Future - D. Rothchild.

The Revolutionary Transformation of Ethiopia's Twentieth-Century Bureaucratic Empire

Ethiopia has long been regarded as the only African state, along with Liberia, to have escaped the ravages of European colonialism, the epitome of African independence and self-determination. 1 It was also considered a stable, relatively integrated, and viable political community amidst a continent of new states characterised by chronic instability. 2 But by 1974, most if not all of these myths were in the process of being broken, as Ethiopia struggled for its very existence against pressures from within and without that threatened to dismember the Empire.

Education, Ethnicity, and Political Socialization In Kenya

This study of a purposively selected cohort group of 525 Kenyan adolescents at varying levels of education (no education, primary education only, and secondary education) attempts to shed light on the role of education in the political socialization of youth in Africa. Hypotheses relating to the effects of education and selected demographic variables on the level of political information and interest, value orientations, and the level of diffuse support found among the members of this cohort group are tested. Employing cross tabulation, bivariate analysis, and regression analysis, it is found that education has an extremely important effect on the levels of political interest and knowledge of individuals. Findings with respect to values are less convincing, but education does appear to be closely related to support for the political system. Of the demographic variables, ethnic identity explains the most variance in levels of diffuse support, but this effect diminished when education was controlled. Given the volatile nature of ethnically based political competition in Africa, the primary implications of this study relate to conditions under which the level of education becomes a less significant influence on level of diffuse support and ethnicity becomes more important, as well as the content and context of education.

Rapid urban expansion and the challenge of pro-poor housing in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

ABSTRACT A common challenge faced by countries in the developing world is to provide public goods such as housing and safe water and sanitation to rapidly expanding and poor populations in urban areas. This is a particularly acute problem when the process of governing is accompanied by unplanned urban population growth and the displacement of the urban poor while pursuing market-oriented development strategies without proper safety nets for them. The purpose of this essay is to critically assess the plight of the city Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in its efforts to address this issue over the past decade. The study, based upon field research conducted in 2015, concludes that while having had success in expanding the availability of the quantity and quality of low-income housing, the urban housing development programme has largely failed to directly address the housing needs of the poorest of the poor. In large measure, this is due to the enormity of the problem coupled with the limited capacity of local governance; issues relating to shortcoming in project design and planning; and conflicting objectives of different national planning units.

The Politics of State Survival: Continuity and Change in Ethiopian Foreign Policy:

For more than a century the Ethiopian state has been concerned with promoting the idea in the international community that it is a viable multiethnic nation-state and with having its claimed geographic boundaries accepted as sacrosanct. Irrespective of the 1974 change from a modern imperial regime to a leftist-oriented military government, these foreign policy priorities have been motivated by persistent claims for self-determination expressed by politically subordinate ethnic communities questioning the legitimacy of Amhara hegemony. The weak, dependent character of the state has continued to force Ethiopian leaders to advance their causes through international diplomacy and military force. Thus the state has sought both the role of a spokesman for Africa and the military aid of a big-power patron. The conclusion is that structural requirements for state survival are more important than ideology.

Electoral Politics in Gary Mayoral Performance, Organization, and the Political Economy of the Black Vote

Focusing on mayoral primary elections between 1967 and 1975 in Gary, Indiana, this article attempts to shed light on the voting calculations of the black electorate where race is not a factor. The main thesis is that Mayor Richard Hatchers continued success in being reelected is based on two main factors: his superior political organization, and his satis factory policy performance in the eyes of the majority of the dominant black electorate. The data include a pilot survey of 121 black registered voters, and personal interviews with public officials, Hatcher organizational supporters, and members of the black electorate at large. Further, wider implications are inferred. For example, it is suggested that no black elected official can expect to remain in office for long unless he or she is able to main tain an effective political organization and, most importantly, appears to meet the felt needs of the majority of the black electorate. Blacks, all else being equal, calculate their votes on a black incumbents policy performance and not his race.