Hope Enterprise University College

Course name: Global Affairs

Course code: GLAF----

Department of Management section-1

Group assignment title - National Interest and foreign policy guidelines of Ethiopia from Emperor
Tewdros II – EPRDF.

Group members

1. Gelila Tamrat RMA/027/23N

2. Hana Getachew RMA/030/23N
3. Hana Tesfaye RMA/029/23N
4. Hilina Weldgebreal RMA/036/23N
5. Kidist Zewdu RMA/146/23N

Submitted to: Dr. Mengistu Gutema

Submission date; 22/4/24

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 Table of contents
Introduction…………………………………………………………….…………………………2
Regime of Emperor Tewdros II……………………………………….………….……………….2
Regime of Emperor Yohannes IV…………………………………………………………………3
Regime of Emperor Menelik II………………………………………………………………..…..3
Regime of Emperor Haile Selassie I………………………………………………………………5
Regime of Derg Government……………………………………………………………………...7
Regime of TPLF/EPRDF Government………………………………………………..…………..8
Summary……………………………………………………………………..……………………9
Reference…………………………………………………………..…………………………….10

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Introduction
Foreign policy is the actions decisions and goals that states pursue towards the outside world.
The deriving motives behind it is the pursuit of national interest. National interest is the set of
values, orientation, goals and objectives a given country would like to achieve in its international
relations.
The country’s diplomatic journey has paid off to the present-day Ethiopia. From ancient empires
to modern diplomacy, Ethiopia has navigated a remarkable course on the world stage. Ethiopia's
foreign relations are as complex and vibrant as the nation itself. From its ancient history as a
powerful empire to its modern role as a key player in the African and global affairs, the country
has navigated a fascinating diplomatic journey.
Ethiopia is one of few early African countries admitted to the League of Nations, becoming a
member on 28 September 1923, and was one of the founding members of the United Nations.
During the Scramble for Africa, Ethiopia had maintained its full sovereignty over European
colonial power and fought the First Italo-Ethiopian War in 1895–96. However, the League did
not protect in accord with the envisaged "collective security" of the country, resulted Italy's
occupation of Ethiopia for 5 years (1936–1941).
From 1950s, Ethiopia participated to UN peacekeeping missions such as in Korean War and
Congo Crisis. Virtually, Ethiopia maintains diplomatic relations to most countries, and is non-
permanent member of the UN Security Council.
In this paper we tried to include the major national interests of Ethiopia after the medieval
periods from Emperor Tewdros II to EPRDF/TPLF government.
National Interest and Foreign Policy of Ethiopia during regime of Emperor Tewdros II
(1855-1868)
Tewodros wanted to create a united Ethiopia.

➢ He introduced the idea of modernity and modern army

➢ Through out his reign Tewodros tried to develop a dynamic foreign policy that reached out
beyond the Horn Region.

➢ He sought the Western Christian world to recognize his country and help him to modernize
his country.
The emperor attempted to establish his diplomatic relations to fight his immediate enemies
claiming Christianity as instrument of foreign policy. Not only modernized the empire, but he
also paved the way of coherence the succession for subsequent emperors.

➢ However, the emperor demand modern technology and skilled man power, Britain sent
religious missionaries.

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  He appealed specifically to Britain, France and Russia as Christian nations to assist him
in whatever ways possible in his fight against the Turks, Egyptians and Islam.
In 1861 he conceived a bold foreign policy to bolster his kingdom and promote his reforms. In
1862 Tewodros offered Britain’s Queen Victoria an alliance to destroy Islam. The British
ignored the scheme, and, when no response came, Tewodros imprisoned the British envoy and
other Europeans. This diplomatic incident led to an Anglo-Indian military expedition in 1868. Sir
Robert Napier, the commander, paid money and weapons to Kassa, a dejazmatch (earl) of Tigray,
in order to secure passage inland, and on April 10, on the plains below Āmba Maryam (or
Mekʾdela), British troops defeated a small imperial force. In order to avoid capture, Tewodros
committed suicide two days later.
During regime of Yohannes IV (1872–89)
After a period of conflict that saw the brief and self-proclaimed rule of Tekle Giorgis (1868–72),
the Tigrayan Kassa took the imperial crown as Yohannes IV on January 21, 1872.
After ejecting two Egyptian armies from the highlands of Eritrea in 1875–76, Yohannes moved
south, forcing Shewa’s king Sahle Mariam to submit and to renounce imperial ambitions.
Yohannes thus became the first Ethiopian emperor in 300 years to wield authority from Tigray
south to Guragē.
He then sought to oust the Egyptians from coastal Eritrea, where they remained after the
Mahdists had largely taken over the Sudan.
Egypt tried to put a serious security threat in its continued attempt to invade the country under
many pretexts, yet its motive was to control the source of Blue Nile.

➢ These, however, were not successful as Egypt faced subsequent defeat both in 1875 and 1876
at the Battle of Gundet and Gura respectively.
But he was unable to prevent Italy from disembarking troops at Mitsiwa) in February 1885.
In order to weaken the emperor, Rome tried to buy Sahle Mariam’s cooperation with thousands
of rifles. The Shewan king remained faithful to Yohannes but took the opportunity in January
1887 to incorporate Harer into his kingdom.
Meanwhile, Yohannes repulsed Italian forays inland, and in 1889 he marched into the Sudan to
avenge Mahdist attacks on Gonder. On March 9, 1889, with victory in his grasp, he was shot and
killed at Metema.
During regime of Emperor Menelik II (1889-1913)
Sahle Mariam declared himself emperor of Ethiopia on March 25, taking the name Menilek II.
Ethiopia had strong diplomatic relations under Emperor Menelik II with Britain, France and Italy.
The latter pursued hegemony to Ethiopian Empire after establishing colony in Eritrea (1882).

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The British and French rival with Italy due to insecurity with their respective protectorate in East
Africa. However, both feared the process of Menelik's Expansions.
 He had expanded his sphere of influence towards the far South and East incorporating
new areas and communities peacefully or otherwise.
 The southward expansionism policy of the King was mainly targeted to have access to
Sea Port, Zeila.
Before the death of Yohannes Italy had good diplomatic relation with Menelik with the objective
of weakening Its immediate enemy in the North, Yohannes .Following the death of Yohannes,
however, Italy continued to be the main challenge in the North.

Moreover the King saw the other colonial powers surrounding all four corners of the country as
the scramble of Africa was heightened.
 On May 2,1889 he signed a treaty of amity and commerce granting Italy rule over Eritrea.
The Treaty of Wuchale was signed between Ethiopia and Italy with respective bilingual
version. The treaty was signed between Menilik and Pietro Antonelli, IT was signed after
the Italian occupation of Eritrea and aimed to create friendship with both countries.

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  The Amharic and Italian language, however confused by Article 17 in which Menelik
denounced in 1893, resulting Italy's threatening over the status of newly formed
boundary.
The treaty was signed between Menilik and Pietro Antonelli, in 1889.
-In Amharic version of the treaty, the government of Ethiopia can use the government of Italy to
have business relations with other European governments.
-The Italian version, however, stated that Ethiopia was obligated to conduct all its foreign
relations through Italian authorities, which then led to the abrogation of the ‘Wuchale’ treaty by
Ethiopia in 1893.As a result, Italy prepared for war and started its systematic penetration of the
country from the north.
 The emperor declared nation-wide war against Italy, in 1895, the first Italo-Ethiopian
War began, ending with Italy's defeat at Battle of Adwa by Ethiopian troops who were
assisted logistically by Menelik.
After a severe battle, Ethiopian forces defeated Italy at the battle of Adwa. The significance of
the Adwa victory is loud and clear as many European powers recognized Ethiopia as an
independent African state on similar footing with the Europeans.
 Menilek subsequently directed the Solomonic state into areas never before under its rule.
Between 1896 and 1906 Ethiopia expanded to its present size.
 Revenues from the periphery were used to modernize the new capital of Addis Ababa, to
open schools and hospitals, and to build communication networks. Menilek contracted
with a French company to construct a railway between Addis Ababa and Djibouti, which
thus spurred the exploitation of the country’s produce by foreign merchants in
cooperation with the ruling elites.
During regime of Haile Selassie I (1923-1974)
Iyasu was replaced by Menilek’s daughter, Zauditu. Since it was considered unseemly for a
woman to serve in her own right, Ras Tafari, the son of Ras Makonnen and a cousin of
Menilek, served as Zauditu’s regent and heir apparent.
The prince developed the rudiments of a modern bureaucracy by recruiting the newly
educated for government service.
 He was dedicated to the creation of a stronger, and centralized empire
 He also engineered Ethiopia’s entry into the League of Nations in 1923, reasoning that
collective security would protect his backward country from aggression. To brighten
Ethiopia’s external image, he hired foreign advisers for key departments and set about
abolishing slavery—a process possibly helped by the stirrings in Ethiopia of a market
economy.

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During Haile Selassie coronation in 1930, emissaries from the United States, Egypt, Turkey,
Sweden, Belgium, and Japan were also presented. Since then, he led the forefront diplomatic
relations of Ethiopia with world powers.

 In 1930s, Ethiopia faced Italian renewed imperialist design. Together with the failure
of the League of Nations envision of Ethiopia's "collective security", Italy invaded
Ethiopia again in October 1935, culminating in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War.
On 10 June 1940, Mussolini declared war on France and Britain and attacked British and
Commonwealth forces in Egypt, Sudan, Kenya and British Somaliland. In January 1941, the
British army together with Arbegnoch ("the Patriots") and Gideon Force occupied Ethiopia.
On 5 May, Haile Selassie with auspice of Ethiopian Free Forces entered Addis Ababa and
reclaimed his throne while the war continued until November. After their defeat, the Italian
began guerrilla offensive in Ethiopia that lasted until the Armistice between Italy and Allied
armed forces in September 1943.
On 31 January 1942, the British and Ethiopia signed Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement which Britain
recognized Ethiopian sovereignty, except military occupation of Ogaden with their colony in
Somaliland and the former Italian colony of Somaliland, creating a single polity. Ethiopians
discontent about the privilege of military administration of some south-eastern region until
formal agreement signed on 19 December 1944 that ended British advantage in the Ethiopian
regions. The Italian Republic signed peace treaty on 10 February 1947 that recognized Ethiopia's
sovereignty with agreement to pay $25,000,000 in reparations.
 In February 1945 at a meeting with U.S. Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Haile Selassie
submitted memoranda stressing the imperative for recovering Eritrea and thereby gaining
free access to the sea. In 1948 and again in 1949, two commissions established by the
wartime Allied Powers and by the United Nations (UN) reported that Eritrea lacked
national consciousness and an economy that could sustain independence. Washington,
wishing to secure a communications base in Asmara (Asmera) and naval facilities in
Massawa—and also to counter possible subversion in the region—supported Eritrea’s
federation with Ethiopia. The union took place in September 1952.
 In 1952, Eritrea federated with Ethiopia with majority vote in the United Nations and this
attitude declined by 1961, culminating in the Eritrean War of Independence since armed
forces formed such as the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF).
 Ethiopia also played a significant role in maintaining international peace and security by
committing its troops for peacekeeping operations in Korea in 1951 and the Congo in
1961.
 Of course the emperor’s strategic alliance with outside powers helped him to stay on
power for decades.

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  In this regard British military aid and assistance helped him to restore and consolidate his
power again by eliminating his potential rivals at home.

Oppositions against Haile Selassie came to existence with students began marching through
1960s and early 1970s, chanting "land for tiller" and embracing several Marxist-Leninist theme.
Haile Selassie deposed on 12 September 1974 by officers of Ethiopian Army led by Aman
Andom named Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police and Territorial Army. The
committee renamed itself Provisional Military Administrative Council known as the Derg after
abolishing the Ethiopian Empire in March 1975.
The Military Government (Derg) era (1974-1991)
The military regime adopted a foreign policy oriented to socialist ideology.
The Derg suffered from internal insurgency and ambivalent relations with neighboring countries
such as Eritrea and Somalia. In 1977, the Ogaden War was fought between the Derg supported
by Cuba, Soviet Union and South Yemen, and Somalia with the United States and Egypt.
Although ending on 15 March 1978, the relations between Ethiopia and Somalia marred with
political dispute with involvement of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) in relations
of the disputed Ogaden region.
 The primary objectives of the foreign policy were survival of the regime and maintaining
the territorial integrity of the country. The major strategy to achieve the stated objectives
focused on building the military capability of the country. And force had been employed
as the best strategy to silence dissent at home and deter the perceived external enemies of
the country.
 The country was heavily dependent on military aid on the Soviet Union which prevented
it from securing any kind of military and technical assistance from the US and other
European countries. The regime was condemned by the west for its human rights record,
especially its treatment of former government officials.
In May and June 1977, Somalia’s army advanced into the Ogaden. The U.S.S.R. labeled
Somalia the aggressor and diverted arms shipments to Ethiopia, where Soviet and allied
troops trained and armed a People’s Militia, provided fighting men, and reequipped the army.
Unable to entice the United States into resupplying its troops and faced with renewed
Ethiopian military vigor, Somalia withdrew in early 1978. Mengistu quickly shifted troops to
Eritrea, where by year’s end the Eritrean nationalists had been pushed back into mountainous
terrain around Nakʾfa.
Experts from the German Democratic Republic assisted the military regime in its struggle
against domestic guerilla movements and external opponents, and in training cadres for the
completely reorganized security services.

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➢ The Dergue had sent hundreds of Ethiopians for training to the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe
and Cuba while employing many of their administrators and technicians.

 Apart from socialism, Ethiopia’s strategic locations and other questions, such as;
Eritrea, Somalia, and the issue of the Nile, had also shaped the foreign policy
orientation and behavior of military government.

➢ Ethiopia being located in the Horn of Africa is at the cross roads to the oil rich middle East
region and Indian Ocean .As a result of this the U.S.S.R was keen to have strong hold over the
area, replacing the United States.
During TPLF/EPRDF (1991-2018)
After defeating the Derg in 1991, the newly formed coalition the Ethiopian People's
Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), led by President and later Prime Minister Meles
Zenawi, experienced opposition from factions in Somalia as well as within the country; in May
1991, a pan-Islamist Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya (Islamic Unity) established to consolidate Somalia's
power in the Greater Somalia. Relations with Eritrea was somewhat better intensified after its
UN-sponsored session from Ethiopia in May 1993.
 In the post 1991, one of the goals of the foreign policy is to ensure the survival of the
multi- national state.
 National interest of the country is understood in terms of realizing democracy and
development. In this regard, foreign policy has been considered as an instrument to solve
the domestic problems of the country, including; lack of good governance, instability and
lack of economic development. So democracy and development are the foreign policy
visions of the country
 The primary strategy in realization of these goals is to put the focus on domestic issues
first.
 Emphasizing on external issues such as; seeking financial aid, loans or technical issues
would subject the country to dependency and vulnerability. This strategy is called an
“inside-out” approach.

➢ The Security and Foreign Policy of the country also indicated that Ethiopia would adopt a
kind of East-look policy.

✓Ethiopia appreciates the East Asian countries economic successes and development paths.

✓The country would like to learn from such successful countries such as Singapore, Malaysian
and Indonesia.
The other foreign policy strategy is building up the military capability of the country.

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-Peaceful dialogues and negotiations will be employed to peacefully coexist with others.
Diplomatic solutions can always be taken prior attention when dealing even disputes. But above
all building up military capability would have a deterrence effect.
Later in 1998, their relations was deteriorated after large-scale Eritrean mechanized force
penetrated to Badme region, triggering the Eritrean–Ethiopian War.
 In December 2000, the two countries government signed Algiers Agreement which
finalized the war and created binding judicial commissions, the Eritrea–Ethiopia Border
Commission and the Eritrean–Ethiopian Claims Commissions, to oversee the disputed
border and related claims. Since then, there was elevated tensions with border conflict
and stalemate what is described "war footing" and "no-war-no-peace" with absence of
foreign and domestic policy domination. This was ended after Prime Minister Abiy
Ahmed came to power in 2018, signed the 2018 Eritrea–Ethiopia summit on 8–9 July.

Summary
Looking at the patterns of the country’s foreign policies over the years, there have been changes
and continuities in the foreign policy goals and tactics adopted by different governments of
Ethiopia.
Though strategies may sometimes differ the primary foreign policy objective of all the three
regimes ( Tewdros II’s, Yohannes IV’s and TPLF’s) remained the maintenance of the territorial
integrity and independence of the country.
To this end the three regimes used a combination of both military force and diplomacy to
address both internal and external challenges depending on the circumstances. In this manner,
while the imperial and the military regime’s foreign policy strategy is largely an approach the
current regime followed “in-side out” approach.

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References
MARCUS, HAROLD G. (1963). "A Background to Direct British Diplomatic Involvement in
Ethiopia, 1894-1896". Journal of Ethiopian Studies.
Mockler, Anthony (2003). Haile Selassie's War. Signal Books. p. 12.
Yemane-Ab, Abera (30 August 2022). ""Land to the Tiller": Unrealized Agenda of the
Revolution". Northeast African Studies.
https://www.britannica.com/place/Ethiopia/Emergence-of-modern-Ethiopia-1855-1916
https://ebc.et/english/newsdetails
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_Ethiopia
https://photius.com/countries/Ethiopia/society/Ethiopia_society_the_reign_of_menelik

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