Letter to the
Washington Post

Ethiopian Americans protest outside the State Department in Washington November 8, 2005. The protesters demonstrated against Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and demanded that the U.S. step up its efforts to end post-election violence in Ethiopia.
To the Editor,
Washington Post

The World Bank and other donors are on their way to signing yet another big blank check to the repressive dictatorship in Ethiopia (World Bank Resumes Ethiopian Assistance”,26 May 2006). The World Bank country director for Ethiopia, Ishac Diwan, once again is making the pitch that this huge new loan, Ethiopia’s 4th largest ever, is somehow different from the Bank’s practice to date of providing budget support, which is aid that goes directly to government budgets, rather than for specific development projects.

Contrary to Mr. Diwan’s claims, this new aid is very much business as usual, with the small twist that Ethiopia’s state and local governments, rather than the federal government, get the blank check. Given that practically all of Ethiopia’s local governments are controlled by the same ruling party and its affiliates, Mr. Diwan’s argument that the aid money will be funneled to local governments regardless of their political affiliations is not meaningful.

It appears that with every new round of government crackdown on the citizens of this impoverished country, Mr. Diwan speaks ever more loudly about the World Bank promoting “good governance” in Ethiopia. Despite such rhetorical commitment, the Bank insists on providing a quasi-blank check to the autocratic regime of Ethiopia. In so doing, the Bank’s aid may well have become a hindrance to, rather than a tool for, lifting Ethiopia out of endemic poverty.

Ethiopian American Civic Advocacy (EACA)
Email: eacadvocacy@gmail.com

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