Addis Ababa, 12 September 2014 (WIC) – A professor at the UK based Cranfield University praised Ethiopia for the leadership role it has shown in Africa peace-keeping mission and other sectors over recent years.
Dr. Ann Fitz-Gerald, a Professor in Cranfield University’s Department of Management and Security at the Defense Academy of the UK, made the remark during an exclusive interview with The Ethiopian Herald.
Ethiopian peace-keepers leave the African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) missions with very strong reputations, she noted.
She said Ethiopia’s leadership role is very important especially as Ethiopia hosts the headquarters of the AU. As well, it can help to shape and inform thinking in this organization as well as other regional organizations.
“Ethiopia also has good relationships with other actors in the region, something which reflects its leadership role in facilitating the South Sudanese peace talks,” Prof. Ann added.
Regarding the issue of water politics in the Nile basin, Prof. Ann noted that any ‘moving’ resource can prove challenging to manage, but that water management issues in the region are also creating enormous opportunity to bring actors and stakeholders together with a commitment to meaningful regional dialogue.
She further noted that there is an opportunity to use the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and the water agenda to bring relevant stakeholders together more often and more productively. And, as an often under-rated tool supporting peace and security agendas, this regional dialogue will be of enormous benefit to the wider region.
Pertaining to the security challenges in the HoA, Prof. Ann pointed out that security should be seen in terms of the inseparable relationship it has with development.
For countries in different parts of the world, national security takes on many different meanings and priorities than it does for countries in the Horn of Africa, she added. “Everything is – quite uniquely – context-specific”.
She further pointed out that, for Ethiopia, a landlocked country situated in a troubled region; there are a great range of security issues that impact on policy and research which is ongoing amongst international and local scholars here.
Prof. Ann underscored that Ethiopia is also considered a very important player in this conflict-ridden region based on its relative and ‘inclusive’ progress in economic development, and the strength of its institutions. “As a country, Ethiopia still has much of its knowledge and experience – much of which remains undocumented – to share with others.”
Thus, she added, security in the region should not be viewed through the lens of the traditional state security paradigm but rather through a wider human security paradigm. This requires strong and effective institutions – whose roles and responsibilities are well-understood by society. It also requires recognition of the value of governance at all levels of administration.
With regard to the role of IGAD in the region, She also said that the relationships across The IGAD heads of states appear never to have been so strong, and that the organization has enormous potential, building particularly on its mandate to promote regional security through conflict management and peace-making.
Interestingly, Prof. Ann added that “A lot of people associate the birth of South Sudan as a new nation with the UN’s intervention, however, the momentum that led up to the signing of the comprehensive peace agreement was fueled primarily by IGAD, its heads of state, and its special representatives”.
In addition, more could be done to strengthen the IGAD secretariat and its operational and programmatic capacities and, if it continues on that track, the organization will provide a hugely important resource for the region and for Africa more broadly. (EH)