Tag: African geopolitics
-
From center to periphery: Eritrea’s forced disengagement from Ethiopia
Disparate notes on the long and short history of Eritrea Introduction: A great deal is being said and written about Ethiopia’s loud claim of access to the Red Sea. Ever since 2024, the Ethiopian prime minister has on numerous occasions warned his neighboring seacoast countries, namely Eritrea and Somalia, that they ought to allow Ethiopia…
-
Eritrea Celebrates — but Its President Is Somewhere Else
I. A Preface of Reluctance and Recognition For more than two decades, I avoided President Isaias Afwerki’s speeches. They were predictable, monotonous, and devoid of substance — exercises in tedium that tested the limits of my patience. His demeanor, too, has always unsettled me: the way he talks, the way he walks, the way he…
-
Reengaging Eritrea: A Path Beyond the Stalemate
Michael Rubin has written about Eritrea for many years, and in a region that often flickers in and out of the world’s attention, that consistency deserves acknowledgment. Whatever disagreements I may have with his conclusions, I do not question the sincerity of his desire to see an Eritrea that is democratic, free, and just. Many…