Woldemariam in Daily Mail on Ethiopia and Eritrea
Michael Woldemariam, Assistant Professor of International Relations and Political Science at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, was interviewed for a widely-syndicated article on the upcoming meeting between the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea. The meeting is aimed at reestablishing relations between the two countries that have been icy for decades.
Woldemariam was interviewed for a July 4, 2018 AFP article in The Daily Mail entitled “Eritrea and Peace With Ethiopia: Four Questions.”
From the text of the article:
“I think it’s fair to say the Eritrean leadership is committed to political rapprochement,” says Michael Woldemariam of Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies.
Woldemariam argues settling the dispute with Ethiopia could also spur foreign investors to consider Eritrea free of the fear of incurring Addis Ababa’s wrath.
“It is likely that improving relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea will further solidify the Eritrean state’s rehabilitation on the international scene,” he adds.
Woldemariam says the US may have decided it was time to find a new ally after Djibouti, a neighbour of both Ethiopia and Eritrea that also hosts an US troops, allowed the Chinese to open a military base on its land.
“Certainly, because of geopolitical developments in the Red Sea region — China’s presence in Djibouti, in particular — the US has some interest in normalising relations with Eritrea,” Woldemariam points out.
Woldemariam’s teaching and research interests focus on African politics, particularly the dynamics of armed conflict, the behavior of rebel organizations and self-determination movements, and post-conflict institution building. He has special expertise in the Horn of Africa, and has conducted fieldwork in Ethiopia, Mozambique, Somaliland, South Africa, and India.