Woldemariam Interviewed on Political Liberalization in Ethiopia
Michael Woldemariam, Assistant Professor of International Relations and Political Science at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, was recently interviewed about political liberalization in Ethiopia following a protest by Ethiopian marathoner Feyisa Lilesa at the Olympics against crackdowns on ethnic Oromos.
Woldemariam was quoted in an August 23, 2016 article in the Chicago Tribune entitled “An Olympic Protest is the Least of Ethiopia’s Worries.”
From the text of the article:
“Political liberalization comes with some risk for those that benefit from the current political monopoly, but it is necessary for Ethiopia’s stability going forward,” said Michael Woldemariam, an assistant professor at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. “But I can’t say that I am seeing compelling evidence of the government moving in that direction.”
You can read the entire article here.
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. Learn more about him here.