Ethiopia has notable records on keeping peace and security in the Horn of Africa region. It used to send peacekeeping forces to maintain law and order in the countries of the region. These countries have been under constant turmoil due to political skirmishes caused by alien forces. These forces wanted to weaken these countries and exploit their natural resources without any resistance. In this situation, the Ethiopian government has succeeded in securing peace and security in some countries, while in others the turmoil has continued.
The continuation of political chaos, confusion and disorder in the neighboring countries and in Ethiopia is a constant source of hardships for the people. Moreover, the natural disasters have led to the displacement of residents from their place of origin. They are forced to immigrate to the unknown parts of neighboring countries where they confront shortages of food, clothing and shelters. Also, the countries of the Horn have been exposed to both domestic and external conflicts designed by foreign powers.
Most of the countries of the Horn have a history of domestic conflicts that are entrenched to the societies at large. Obviously, any political dissent and difference may be resolved through local intermediaries and elders. The issue at hand is not the content of the political disagreement, but the hidden forces behind contending groups. Each group may be driven by alien forces that provide it with resources, including arms, funds and diplomatic support. The Ethiopian history is full of such external interferences in its internal affairs. The Bandas used to be traditional domestic saboteurs in the country that had been at the service of external powers.
Traditionally, initiatives used to be undertaken to secure political advantages. This takes place in the form of cooperation and progress towards sustainable peace which is brokered by regional and global institutions. Various institutes operating in Africa and the Horn area pretend to work with the government bodies dealing with peace and security in the region. They conduct relevant research that leads to the preparation of policy documents on how to maintain peace, law and order. Sometimes, they dwell on national identity, values, security and other political and social interests. They pretend to review and provide insights of experts on the issues they dealt with.
However, the Ethiopian political, economic and social issues require deeper understanding of the socio- cultural situations in the different regions of the country. There are both wide and narrow differences in the different parts of the country that demand careful and deeper understanding of the realities on the ground. A foreigner with hidden motive may not grasp the whole paraphernalia and bits and pieces of the Ethiopian cultural inputs into the political elements.
Where there is political sensitivity, the issue of trust is imaginary and fantasy. Credibility has no place among politicians who tend to forget that their fate is determined by the people at the polling stations during elections. Free and fair elections will determine the leaders at the various levels of the political ladder. In the meantime, however, it is crucial to build the trust needed to deal with sensitive peace engagements that affect the lives of the Ethiopian people.
As mentioned earlier, this sensitivity arises from the absence of trust in the political arena. Alike what the government has done, political parties have to make great effort to secure the trust they needed from the people. In line with this, reputed Ethiopian researchers have to secure their independence and objectivity to dig out the level of trust in political activities among the people. These researchers have to establish their status as scholars and analysts before writing anything on political activism in Ethiopia. Also, they should not be guided by alien forces on what to write about their own country.
Regional powers are believed to contribute to stability and peace within their defined spheres of influence. The Horn region is assumed to lack a powerful regional state. Experts, however, have argued otherwise by referring to Ethiopia as power that emerged in the Horn region. It has been capable of expanding and enlarging its power beyond its border. Despite its socio-economic constraints and lack of internal political consensus, it has emerged as a regional power. Its military capability, population size, diplomatic strength and presence have made it possible to pause itself as a power in the Horn region. These opportunities have allowed it to drive peace and security initiatives in the region.
Ethiopia has also an impressive record of influencing and maintaining regional security using local and regional organizations. In recent years, the converging of Ethiopia's interests with those of the external partners enhanced its legitimacy in the Horn region, thereby strengthening its role and status. At the same time, other governments in the region have not been able to balance their position in the region.
Ethiopia has continued to gain high level of recognition for its role in maintaining peace and security in the Horn. However, due to low level of economic capacity, it has faced challenges to regional security temporarily. But, emerging as a major and influential security guard in the Horn, it has managed to secure the development assistance it needed from bilateral and multilateral financial institutions.
Regardless of the reputation it gained as the result of its contribution for the Horn's peace and security, it is struggling with internal problems especially related with peace issues. There is, therefore, a need to deal with the various global and regional constraints to its regional political and economic efforts. To merge and strengthen its regional power and gain more recognition, acceptability and credibility, Ethiopia needs to manage its internal political conditions. In so doing, it will definitely be in stronger position to increasingly play a more constructive role in the Horn area. It will guarantee the maintenance of law, order and peace in its neighboring countries.
Ethiopia is increasingly considered as a regional power in the Horn, as mentioned earlier, due to its military and diplomatic competence as well as its demographic size. It is increasingly engaged in regional peace and security issues which further indicate its will to lead and influence the region. As a matter of policy, its aspirations are not explicitly expressed by the government. This is not divulged in its official foreign policy document.
The position and status of the country within the region are constrained by its vulnerability and weak economic capacity. However, Ethiopia still maintains a critical position in the Horn area and plays an important role in regional peace and security issues, serving as a mediator and as a peacekeeper. It has also been able to suggest regional agendas using the existing regional and continental organizations. It enjoys its status in the Inter-Governmental Authority of Development (IGAD) and the African Union (AU), which contribute to its peace and economic development.
Horn of Africa is one of the most unstable, insecure and underdeveloped regions. It is synonymous with ethnic diversity, internal strife, poverty, hunger, drought and famine. Experts associate this region, including Ethiopia, with recurrent cycles and extended periods of hunger, drought, food insecurity, disease, displacement and migration of people. The region is also a source of refugees and internally displaced persons. Illegal cross-border movement is common in the Horn region.
There is also illicit small arms smuggling and livestock theft. Added to these, there is high growth of population and youth unemployment. All these are impediments for durable peace, security and sustainable development in the Horn area. Nevertheless, in previous decades, Ethiopia has been able to secure peace and security, emerging as reliable regional power. The successful story here is based on the adoption of a strategy that is based on economic development, cooperation, and the support of international financial institutions. Moreover, the adoption of a strategy that guides the socioeconomic management in the country is crucial.
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Other nations in the Horn may not be in the same position as Ethiopia is in terms of its historical experience of peace and security. This experience might be a useful one for the region since these countries of the region share similar socio-economic and political landscape.
Of course, as mentioned above, the region is known for its instability, insecurity and underdevelopment. To reverse this situation, regional cooperation and development plays a critical role for peace and security in the Horn, including Ethiopia. This may be used as good experience to share with other nations of Africa that faced similar problems of lack of peace and security. However, there are antisocial and damaging policies such as "ethnic" based pseudo-democratic strategies adopted by some countries in the region. Although the Horn is one of the most unstable, insecure and poverty-ridden part of the region, Ethiopia may gain a global experience that contributes to its peace and security.
Ethiopia may share its experience with other neighboring countries which are facing political, economic and social problems and conflicts. Most of these countries are confronted with contested political issues and economic failures. Each of them has been in disagreements over the common legacies needed for building a national identity. They all required national values and common interests that would enable them to strengthen each of their countries.
In case of disagreements and conflicts, they have to learn from the successes and failures of other countries. They should acquire lessons on how they designed their own strategies for reconciliation and peace. In other words, the government, political parties, and civil society organizations have major roles in securing peace and security.
Editor's Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
