Etiopie v současné severovýchodní Africe: vnitropolitický a mezinárodně-politický pohled
Ethiopia in Contemporary Northeast Africa: An Inner- and International Political View

Summary/Abstract: In this study I will present an issue of contemporary Ethiopia both with its internal and external aspects. Ethiopia played an important role in contemporary history of Africa which was mainly due to the person of its Emperor, Haile Sellassie. As one of the founding members of the United Nations, and as the only independent country of Africa in colonial times, Ethiopia became a symbol of African renaissance and independence. It was thus not surprising that Addis Ababa became the head of the Organization of African Unity formed in 1963. After a historical background I am discussing contemporary internal political factors in Ethiopia that may be called as a relation between center and periphery. Complicated relations among major ethnic parties in Ethiopia have their roots in past decades and coincide with the rise of Eritrean and Somali nationalisms. These processes have resulted in an increasement of nationalistic movements among Oromos, Sidama and other peoples in Ethiopia and destabilize contemporary situation which can be characterized by autocratic rule of the prime minister Melese Zenawi and the “Tigrayan clique”. In the second part I am discussing contemporary relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan as the major actors of the northeast Africa. The sense of this article is to present Ethiopia as a potential regional leader and to critically assess its viability. The main argument of this study is that there can hardly be further progress in democratization and economic development of the country with contemporary failed model of ethnic federalism that increases tensions in peripheral regions, and that without internal stability Ethiopia cannot achieve its regional or international goals regarding stability of the whole region.

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