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The Long, Long Way to a More Perfect Union in America (Prof. Alemayehu G.Mariam)
On April 10, 1957, 28 year-old Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) gave a speech at the St. Louis Freedom Rally in St. Louis, MO entitled, “A Realistic Look at the Question of Progress in the Area of Race Relations”. In his speech, MLK commended...
My Commentary on My Commentaries[Prof Alemayehu]
This commentary, perhaps confession is a better descriptor, has been long in coming. Why have I written lengthy weekly Monday commentaries for hundreds of weeks without missing a single week? Why are my “commentaries so long”? Why am I so...
Ethiopia: Embracing Development and Security Means Embracing Free Expression [Birtukan Mideksa]
Last week, Washington D.C. hosted the US-Africa Leaders Summit, where over 50 African heads of state discussed important issues ranging from public health to trade and development. I was honored to participate in a parallel civil society conference...
In Ethiopia, a stranglehold on freedom - LA Times
By MERON AHADU AND LULIT MESFIN
When Secretary of State John F. Kerry traveled to Ethiopia last year, he met a young blogger named Natnael Feleke. When he returned a few months ago, Kerry found that Feleke, along with five other bloggers and...
What is the Value of American Values in Africa? [Prof. Alemayehu G.Mariam]
We did a whole lot of things that were right, but we tortured some folks; we did some things that were contrary to our values. When we engaged in some of these enhanced interrogation techniques, techniques that I believe and I think any fair-minded...
Cirque d'Afrique: 2014 U.S-Africa Leaders Summit [Prof. Alemayehu G. Mariam]
The African Circus is coming to town. It is officially called “U.S-Africa Leadership Summit” (not Ringling African Brothers). It is scheduled to be held on August 5-6 in Washington D.C. The theme of the “Summit” is “Investing in...
Ethiopia in the Twilight Zone (9) of Fear [Professor Alemayehu G. Mariam]
(Author’s note: In this commentary, I take a literary approach to reflect on the counter-productive and self-defeating actions the regime in Ethiopia has taken recently to punish its perceived opponents and critics. I am both amused and...