Ethiopia’s Foreign Policy One Year After Meles Zenawi: An Opportunity for Transformation

This research paper analyzes Ethiopia's foreign policy and domestic transition following the death of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. It argues that while Ethiopia has maintained economic growth and regional security stability, its ability to play a more strategic and transformational role in the Horn of Africa is hindered by a gap between its stated democratic doctrines and its domestic political reality.

• Following the death of Meles Zenawi, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) managed the succession of Hailemariam Desalegn according to a five-year plan established in 2011. The appointment of Desalegn, who represents a minority from the South, is viewed as an indication of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front's (TPLF) continued influence within the ruling party and a need to maintain a fragile ethno-religious balance.
• Despite political transitions in 2012, Ethiopia experienced an average economic growth rate of 10.7% over the previous decade, placing it among the world's 10 fastest-growing economies as of June 2013. However, internal ethnic and religious divisions continue to influence the nation's foreign policy and its role in the Horn of Africa.
• Ethiopia's regional policy is driven by the need for domestic stability and state survival due to unstable borders with Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan. To address these security challenges, Ethiopia has aligned itself with the United States and United Kingdom as primary bilateral donors, hosted US drone bases to combat al Qaeda, and intervened militarily in Somalia in 1996 and 2006 to fight Al-Shabaab and other Islamist militants.
• Ethiopia acts as a regional broker and troop contributor to international missions, including providing over 2,000 personnel to UNAMID in Darfur and being the sole contributor (between 4,200 and 5,000 troops) to UNISFA on the border of Sudan and South Sudan. Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has furthered this role by organizing summits between Sudan and South Sudan and urging Sudan to allow humanitarian aid into South Kordofan and Blue Nile provinces.
• While Ethiopia's 2002 Foreign Affairs and National Security Policy and Strategy includes democracy as a goal, the author contends that democracy remains a 'missing link' in practice. The paper suggests that for Ethiopia to effectively sponsor democratic transitions in the region, it must first transform its own domestic order to align with these codified aspirations, noting a positive step when the government allowed the Semayawi party to hold peaceful protests.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2013). Ethiopia’s Foreign Policy One Year After Meles Zenawi: An Opportunity for Transformation. https://saiia.org.za/research/ethiopias-foreign-policy-one-year-after-meles-zenawi-an-opportunity-for-transformation/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Ethiopia’s Foreign Policy One Year After Meles Zenawi: An Opportunity for Transformation. 2013. https://saiia.org.za/research/ethiopias-foreign-policy-one-year-after-meles-zenawi-an-opportunity-for-transformation/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Ethiopia’s Foreign Policy One Year After Meles Zenawi: An Opportunity for Transformation |date=21 August 2013 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/ethiopias-foreign-policy-one-year-after-meles-zenawi-an-opportunity-for-transformation/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2013ethiopias, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Ethiopia’s Foreign Policy One Year After Meles Zenawi: An Opportunity for Transformation}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2013}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/ethiopias-foreign-policy-one-year-after-meles-zenawi-an-opportunity-for-transformation/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }