Nightly Nuance - March 22, 2021

Hello, my friends. Today we’re talking about the war in Ethiopia and the Biden administration’s response to it. There are four reasons that I think we should prioritize Ethiopia in our thinking:

International reports make clear that the situation in Ethiopia’s Tigray region involves genocide. Anytime a group of people is being systematically purged, it deserves our attention. This situation presents trends that I think will drive foreign policy well into the foreseeable future: migration from conflict and conflict driven by allocation of resources. Ethiopia’s location makes it strategically important to both Africa and Western Asia. I’m going to talk more about this idea tomorrow, but I’ve been thinking a lot about empathy through geography. I truly believe understanding the complexities, terrains, populations, and cultures across the globe will make us more thoughtful and kind in our home countries.

Resources on the Tigray conflict:

NY Times: Current Status

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/05/world/africa/ethiopia-war-tigray.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article

NY Times: PM Abiy Ahmed

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/26/world/africa/ethiopia-tigray-abiy-ahmed.html

NY Times: Overview

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/05/world/africa/ethiopia-tigray-conflict-explained.html

Reuters

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-conflict-biden-idUSKBN2BB0JX

NY Times: Genocide

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/26/world/middleeast/ethiopia-tigray-ethnic-cleansing.html

CNN Report - this article discusses sexual violence : https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/19/africa/ethiopia-tigray-rape-investigation-cmd-intl/index.html

Near the end, I talk about tension between Ethiopia and Egypt. You can hear an entire Nightly Nuance episode devoted to this topic here. If you’d like to learn more about what’s happening, check out these articles:

Al Jazeera

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/22/ethiopias-fm-and-us-envoy-hold-talks-over-renaissance-dam

Middle East Eye

https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/egypt-ethiopia-grand-renaissance-dam-war

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