Network of Eritreans for Constitutional Governance (NECG)

ERITREA: EU GOES FASCISTIC AGAIN

Commentary
04 April 2009
Berhane M Tekeste

In matters Eritrea, EU, true to its history, on April Fools Day unanimously decided to go fascistic!

There is no denying about it that there reigns an out-and-out one-man tyranny in Eritrea. And, all talks and rhetorics aside and regardless of whatever political disguise they use to camouflage it, the EU(European Union)has dumped Human Rights and Democracy for strategic interests and is manifestly collaborating, in league and in cahoots with the perpetrator of tyranny in Eritrea, Isias Afawarki. Like it or not, intentionally or inadvertently, qui facit per alium facit per se !

This insanely perverted and inhuman policy of 'Swapping Democracy and Human Rights for strategic interests' is not unique to EU nor am I singling out EU here. Such a cruel policy is standard though covert modus operandi of international power houses. But that does not, therefore, make EU's attitude right, for as they so correctly say, two, three, four ...wrongs do not add up to one right. Regardless of who else and how many others are pursuing it , this kind of political stance is wrong, very wrong and utterly deplorable for it helps perpetuate crime against humanity in disguise. Here, I am merely restating the obvious for the sole purpose of getting the record to so reflect knowing that sooner or later the inevitable day of reckoning will come.

For starters, the European Union (EU) is not sort of at a loss about the brutally persistent social and political predicament the people of Eritrea are in, the manifest inhuman consequences thereof, and who the undisputed culprit is: Barefaced tyranny perpetrated by the one and only Isias Afawarki.

As a matter of fact, the EU is well aware that casus Eritrea is literally counter and negates all and every thing the EU submits in writing to be founded upon, claims to stand for and believes in, including the requisite political platform it laid out explicitly for providing Development Aid to ACP countries (Cotonou Agreement). But lo and behold, apart from paying petty lip service to the undeniably cruel realities in Eritrea, the EU is neither antipathetic or antagonistic to, nor bothered by a political situation that is virtually antithetical to its publicly declared political objectives, goals, and even raison d'etre, so to speak! Au contraire! The EU brazenly brushes aside the manifest denial and negation of Democracy and the deprivation of Human Rights in Eritrea simply as some thing of 'concern' but not an issue to act on, rein in, pressure to order, or a matter that would preempt EU's strategic interests. Accordingly, the EU has been manifestly sustaining and hence perpetuating tyrannical rein in Eritrea by, inter alia, propping it up with millions of Euros under the guise of development aid and by providing it diplomatic buttress in a way hardly noticeable to the ordinary man and woman on the street.! The EU was able to get away with it for so long because it went about it very shrewdly: EU has been sustaining this its absolutely callous Eritrea policy by camouflaging it with a series of fallaciously effective political ploys:

The Engagement Ploy

To the EU, casus Eritrea has always been sort of some thing that is too hot to handle and too cold to touch, as we say, yet a country strategically too important to pass up. Not to worry, the EU has devised a fallaciously shrewd way of going about Eritrea without being burnt or suffering a frostbite. To that effect, one of the fallaciously effective political ploys the EU deploys to camouflage its collaboration with tyranny is 'playing the Engagement card'. Both as a matter of principle and common sense, no one can be against the policy of Engagement per se for it sounds good, is persuasive, and lends itself well to handle and control the tyrannical status quo with the purpose of restoring order, re-establishing societal normalcy, and bring about change for the good, the better, or the best peacefully. That is also the ostensible goal of EU's engagement game, but this ostensible goal is a very effective and smart ploy behind which the EU is hiding the real aim of its engagement game which is to sustain the tyrannical status quo!

Don't take it from me. By its own admission, the purpose and goal of EU's engagement game is predicated on the premise “we don't want the situation to get any more worst than what it already is”, EU's yet another fallacious and fear mongering refrain that it constantly vociferates when confronted with calls for Democracy and Human Rights in Eritrea. The premise sounds good and is persuasive too? But what does it mean in practical terms? Absent any EU action in words or deeds to even threaten let alone end the tyrannical status quo in Eritrea, this EU's premise is a tacit call to preserve the tyrannical status quo or else, here comes the fear mongering component of the phrase, the sky would be falling not only over Eritrea but also over the entire region if this tyrannical status quo were to be tampered with in favor of Democracy and Human Rights. With that, the EU is putting the people of Eritrea/int'l community into a situation where people have to choose between continued tyrannical oppression and utter regional catastrophe. That kind of policy may be well in line with EU's policy of 'swapping democracy& human rights for strategic interests' but, regret to say and with all due respect, it smacks of fascistic stance, for, short of imposing them one brutal way or the other, these are two unacceptable options to any human being.

In Eritrea, the EU by its action is imposing, hence perpetuating tyrannical reign by duping the people into believing that the alternative would be utter catastrophe. That too sounds fascistic to me, for why would talking tyrant Afawarki out of tyranny into the bare minimum of 'democracy and human rights' lead to a far-reaching catastrophe (I am not calling for drastic measures here, only simple measures such as EU using the diplomatic, political, and financial cover it is providing to sustain the tyrannical status quo as leverage to call this tyrannical madness to order)? Give me a break, who is kidding whom here? Make no mistake, the EU is all after its strategic interests. Democracy, human rights the suffering of fellow human being is at the bottom of EU's to-do-list. Forget altruism, others have gotten away and are still getting away with it, why should EU be the exception? Accordingly, the EU appears to have adopted the 'What's good for the goose is good for the gander' modus operandi in pursuing its foreign interests?

EU's stated premise also explains why its long-held policy of Engagement vis-á-vis Eritrea tyrant is nothing but EU's euphemism for sustaining tyranny in Eritrea, for, sustaining tyranny is what EU has been implicitly advocating and doing so far. The EU didn't leave it at merely sustaining it either. No, no. It also saw to it and made sure it is indeed sustained by propping it up financially in the form of some kind of aid and by providing diplomatic buttress where needed (like frequent EU high-level officials visits to Eritrea).

There you have a partial installment of what is behind the good and persuasive sounding but deceptive EU's policy of engagement vis à vis Eritrea tyrant Isias Afewarki: It is a shrewd ploy designed to hoodwink the public into believing in some EU action to end tyranny when in reality it has been manifestly crafted to preserve tyranny, on the one hand, and to gut any calls for democracy, human rights, justice and rule of law on the other hand.

That is all the EU has to show for its 'Engement Policy' hitherto. Bear me with me, that is not all. I appreciate your patience greatly.

The Development Aid Ploy

'Development Aid' is yet one of them fallaciously effective ploys the EU deploys to camouflage the financial aid it provides to sustain and hence perpetuate tyrannical oppression in Eritrea.

The currently raging dissonant discourse and the ensuing acrimonious verbal/literary jabs between and among Eritreans over EU's announcement to grant €122 million in 'development aid to Eritrea' arises from the very fallacious nature of the proposition itself. The ostensible purpose of the 'development aid' is to finance development projects in Eritrea- obviously, no single Eritrean or any one else in the entire world is and can be against that per se, but the real aim is to bolster and prop up Afawarki's tyrannical authority in Eritrea financially. That is a complete no-brainer: A financial grant placed under the sole control and at the free disposal of a barefaced tyrant that no one has any kind of control over, nationally or internationally and which fund is not contingent on any move toward even the semblance of Democracy and Human Rights is a sound service to tyranny.

Now, that notwithstanding, if the recipients and beneficiaries of the funds were the people and country of Eritrea, what is wrong with asking for an effective and transparent control mechanism to also make sure that the people and country of Eritrea are indeed the recipients and the beneficiaries of the funds? How does demanding a control mechanism become unpatriotic?

Now, EU, quo vadis? Is the EU for real? Is EU's charter just a formalized political declaration of intent that is not necessarily binding? Is EU's ACP Agreement merely guiding principles not mandatory? Short answers: No, yes, yes! Long answer: The EU is not for real because like all other powerhouses its priorities are dictated by strategic interests whereby democracy and human rights may not be on top of its list. Ditto, ditto for the rest of the answers. Don't buy my answers? Well, check it out, true to its history, on April Fools day, the EU proudly decided to go fascistic. EU unanimously accepted a resolution to prop up by whatever means and to perpetuate tyranny in Eritrea.

Congratulation EU! Europe has always been the home of fascism and I thank you for deciding in unison to preserve this historic tradition. Just a humble reminder: qui facit per alium facit per se !

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