Ethiopia’s
fantasy and magical thinking
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Editorial:
EritreaDaily.net |
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7-Dec-03 |
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Fantasy and magical thinking is one of the many clinical manifestations of defense mechanism that people in denial use constantly in an effort to negate the truth or reality of a situation or experience and to prevent it from entering their conscious mind. Such people include and are currently exemplified by Ethiopia rulers that have been in denial about the international border ruling simply because it did not go their way. By the way, the border ruling didn’t go Eritrea’s way either. Eritrea acceded to it in reverence and utter compliance to the letter and spirit of the Algiers Agreement, in reverence to its written commitment to abide by it, in recognition of the uneven outcome of arbitration, and in deferment to the overall peace so attained in the Horn of Africa. |
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In their fantasy and magical thinking, Ethiopia rulers did not leave any stone unturned in a futile attempt to make the ruling disappear. They tried to draw parallel to the Cameroon/Nigeria matter but turned out to be comparing apples with oranges; they tried to force the Security council to adopt an “alternative mechanism” and that was unequivocally turned down; then they unilaterally voided and annulled the ruling and dismantled the EEBC, which turned out to be a gimmick; and now they are fantasizing about Kofi Anan appointing a special envoy to “mediate” in Eritrea, Ethiopia with the hope of finding a magic to undue the irreversible border ruling. And this their latest desperate attempt will also fail and remain fantasy and magical thinking because the border ruling is and remains there to stay unless the international community ceases to be what it is? |
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There is nothing to “mediate” between Eritrea and Ethiopia but every thing for defiant Ethiopia to comply with the conclusive and legal outcome of whatever was there to mediate, negotiate, and dialogue as expressed by the ruling of the EEBC. Ethiopia’s “objection”/”rejection” of the ruling can neither suspend, freeze, invalidate or call for renegotiation of the verdict but constitutes grave noncompliance, which by Ethiopia’s insistence and own request calls for and triggers direct confrontation with the Guarantor Nations. Hence, contrary to Ethiopia’s fantasy and magical thinking, Axworthy’s mission, if it ever materializes, can only be to mediate between the Guarantor Nations and Ethiopia, the noncompliant party. |
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It is to be recalled that the Algiers Agreement was possible only because Ethiopia got what it wanted most: Ethiopia was skeptical and did not want to settle for a border ruling that was merely final, binding and without appeal, it requested and was granted a written guarantee from the mightiest of the world that the border ruling will be indeed enforced/implemented and realized by use of force if necessary, wherever the chips may fall. In doing so, the Guarantor Nations put any thing and every thing that is maintaining the socio-political equilibrium of the int’l community on the line. With that, the fate of the EEBC ruling is no more about Eritrea or Ethiopia but a matter for the community of nations to be or not to be as we have known it hitherto because what is at stake now is the credibility of international commitment and international court of arbitration, and the sanctity of international arbitration and the rule of law. This would be true even if Eritrea were to agree to undue the border ruling!! |
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The international community has stood and stands firmly by the integrity and ruling of the EEBC to date and unless it wants to turn the world into the rule of “might is right”, anarchy and chaos, there is no sane reason why it should not rise up and fulfill its commitment and obligation vis-ŕ-vis the EEBC ruling. And the mission of any UN special envoy, Axworthy or not, cannot be different than that: To get defiant Ethiopia to heed to the latest and standing Security council order to abide by the EEBC ruling and to move on with the expeditious demarcation of the border. Every thing else is fantasy and magical thinking. It is all about Ethiopia, which is in denial and defiance of a border ruling that it committed itself to only abide by and which the int’l community guaranteed to enforce by use of force if not. |