By William Davison and Martin Davison

Since the Referendum, the liberal élite and their media have largely neglected the societal threats inherent in the rifts exposed, while inadequately addressing the practicalities of Brexit.

Clueless, arrogant, outgunned. The attitude displayed towards the UK's Brexit negotiators in much of the media is derisive. Witness the treatment of July's notorious negotiating table photo opportunity: on one side, the European Commission behind piles of neatly stacked papers and, facing them, David Davis's team, empty table gleaming. Without pausing to consider possible explanations, reporters gleefully proclaimed that this demonstrated UK unpreparedness and the naive expectation that it could fly by the seat of its pants.

By Prof. Al Mariam

On October 18, 2017, the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia issued the following statement:

United States sees peaceful demonstrations as a legitimate means of expression and political participation. We note with appreciation a number of recent events during which demonstrators expressed themselves peacefully, and during which security forces exercised restraint in allowing them to do so.

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By William Davison

Standing on a stage in the east of England next to an imposing blue “Exit from Brexit” placard, former Liberal Democrat MEP Andrew Duff’s message was not what the audience at the regional party meeting wanted to hear.

By Prof. Al Mariam

Author’s Note: The irony of ironies is that Barack Obama and I now share one thing in common. The hate-mongering birthers in America sought to cast doubt on Obama’s identity and birthplace to delegitimize his presidency by spinning a conspiracy theory that he was born in Kenya. The T-TPLF hate-mongers are now spinning a birther conspiracy theory to de-Ethiopianize me and delegitimize my unrelenting human rights advocacy in Ethiopia by claiming they have “doubts” about my Ethiopiawinet (Ethiopian-ness). The T-TPLF birthers say “some of my writings over the past several years raise doubt” as to whether I am a “real” Ethiopian.

By Prof. Al Mariam

Author’s Note: The handwriting is on the wall. It is the same message the courageous young people chanted at the 2016 Irreecha festival before they were cut down by T-TPLF machine guns, “Down, down, woyane!”

By Prof. Al Mariam

In the early parts of the 21^st century, China became an important source of finance for African development. The continent’s infrastructure was in disrepair; it had crumpled after decades of abject neglect and destruction from senseless civil wars. A substantial investment was – and still – needed to rebuild this infrastructure. According to a World Bank Report (2009), “the poor state of infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa—its electricity, water, roads and information and communications technology (ICT)—cuts national economic growth by two percentage points every year and reduces productivity by as much as 40 percent.” To close the infrastructure gap, an annual spending of $93 billion would be required. Africa has to spend US$360 billion on infrastructure by 2040, according to the African Development Bank (AfDB).Chopsticks Mercantilism, China in Africa, China in Ethiopia,

By Prof. Al Mariam

Author’s Note: Last week, the infamous landgrabber in Ethiopia, Sai Karuturi, wrote a letter informing the black apartheid T-TPLF (Thugtatorship of the Tigrean People’s Liberation Front) prime minister that he has had enough and wants out. Karuturi “accused the (T-TPLF) state of nationalizing its farming investments” and demanded “adequate and appropriate redress.” Karuturi also condemned the T-TPLF regime for its decision to “unilaterally and illegally cancel our investment and trade license”. Karuturi threw in the towel and declared, “We stand tired and defeated and wish to exit Ethiopia.”

By David Steinman

The challenge of changing official Western policy toward the ruling regime in Ethiopia has frustrated Ethiopia’s opposition for more than a quarter century.

The West has never taken meaningful steps to stop the crimes committed by Ethiopia’s brutal dictatorship against the Ethiopian people. Given the level of collusion demonstrated for decades, it is not hard to understand why Western donor nations only pay lip service to Ethiopian human rights and democracy while, behind the scenes, trying to avoid doing what’s necessary to solve the problem.