The only time Secretary Blinken cannot keep staring you in the eye is when you mention genocide, ethnic cleansing and crimes against the Amhara* people. When you mention atrocities against Amhara civilians that US embassy staff and other US civilian, military and intelligence personnel in Ethiopia document daily, Blinken starts blinking. He cannot stare you straight in the eye.
That was said about him a long while ago. That was when Meaza Mohammed, now internationally celebrated journalist and White House March 8 Award recipient, used to be persecuted and ostracized for voicing her concern over the Amhara genocide. Then only half a million Amhara were displaced and only thousands were killed. Since then, just the number of Amhara IDPs not accounted for has exceeded 2 million and entire regions have been cleansed of ethnic Amhara. I am wondering if Secretary Blinken is still the same way. I am wondering if Blinken is still blinking when the victims of state-sponsored genocide are Amhara civilians.
Would Blinken’s visit to Addis Ababa be to re-anoint Abiy Ahmed as US puppet supreme in the Horn or would Blinken be able to use the historic opportunity to exert the influence of his office for the observation of the human rights of all Ethiopian citizens and an end to persecution based on ethnicity and faith? Would Blinken choose to get dumped in the trash bin of history in the footsteps of Herman Cohen and the like or would he be able to do something that would redeem erroneous and tragic US involvement in the disintegration of Ethiopia?
The next time Blinken visits Addis Ababa will be probably after the Grand Ethiopian Genocide and the concomitant destruction of Addis Ababa; unless something drastic is done to reverse the course of this 30 year journey of doom that the US State Department and other partners put the Ethiopian nation on.
*The genocide against the Amhara started long before the PP-TPLF war in Tigray, continued during the war and even after the US sponsored PP-TPLF Pretoria deal ‘stopped’ the war.
Brother Al,
Secretary of State Blinken is known to not holding back meeting with foreign officials which caused former Secretary of State Kissinger to issue friendly opinion about him after a video clip came out of his first time meeting with the commies from Beijing. Kissinger thought there Blinken was too blunt. He did not blink telling the officials in Addis/Finfine those who committed crimes in the northern part of the country and Oromia should be held accountable. That is just my penny’s worth of an opinion.
Btw, I saw the other day on TV how Southern California was pummeled by heavy snow and they mentioned San Bernardino to be one of the counties affected. I recall from your biography that you teach at a university there. I hope you and your family are doing fine. Bundle up brother!!!
Prof Almariam, before blaiming sec. Blinken , for his deeds, blame on yourself.
You have indeeded supported the PP Regime for a longtime, eventhough you know the Genocide commited against the Amahra ppl, not only supported but also exexuted through the central gov.
You lost a word for the victims, Amhara has been a target for mor than 30 years.
And, ABiy and co. are prepraing for a nationwide cleansing of the Amhras, Orthodoxes.
Ittu and Wolde –
A bit of advice: You do need to take time to understand not only the things you read but your response to them. Looking at the piece posted by a certain A Alemayehu readers can easily note in a minute that the writing has nothing to do with Prof Al Mariam. First thing, the names are different, A Alemayehu and Prof Al Mariam! The language, the message, style are different, and I may say even the opposite. Further more, I’ve never seen such a short piece, more like a telegram than an essay, from Prof Al. (ha! ha!)
An apology from you two to the two gentlemen and to Zehabehsa community readers is one way to redress your errors!