U.S. 'Misguided' Aid Cut for Ethiopia Undermines Influence

Amid a precarious democratic transition, the Trump administration is suspending development assistance to Ethiopia. The decision is "misguided and shortsighted," former U.S. Ambassador Johnnie Carson says in an Allafrica guest column. "The move will undermine Washington's relations and influence in one of Africa's most significant states," he writes. The aid reduction, which became known early this month, is intended to pressure Ethiopia to accept Egypt's terms for the filling and operation of the Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD), which affects water flow in the Nile River and impacts both Egypt and Sudan.