Who takes the credit?
By Yinager Ewunetun
The different media worldwide have reported the expansion of BRICS membership in different tones. Euronews titled it, “BRICS invites Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia, the Emirates, and Iran to join the bloc.” Reuters stated, “BRICS invites six countries, including Saudi Arabia and Iran, to be new members.” France 24 reported, “BRICS invites six new members to join the bloc in a bid to champion ‘Global South.’ The Washington Post reported, “Six countries to join BRICS group; China labels expansion ‘historic.’ In all these headings, we do not see anywhere in which states Ethiopia becomes a BRICS member. These six invited countries may join the group next year if things go as planned. That means the invitation does not guarantee a country’s automatic membership. Some may decide to join, and others may change their heart if pressure mounts from the Western countries. As the Washington Post framed it, this is the work of Beijing and Moscow. They did it as “part of a long-running — and often frustrated — effort to turn a largely symbolic grouping into a vehicle for remodeling international trade and finance structures to protect their interests against future sanctions from the United States and its allies.”
BRICS Agenda is both Economic and political.
One preamble of the BRICS declaration during this 15th Summit reaffirms to work towards mutual respect and understanding, sovereign equality, solidarity, democracy, openness, inclusiveness, strengthened collaboration, and consensus. All these values are essential for the member states. The collaboration framework has three dimensions: “ i) political and security, ii) economic and financial, and iii) cultural and people-to-people cooperation and to enhancing our strategic partnership for the benefit of our people through the promotion of peace, a more representative, fairer international order, a reinvigorated and reformed multilateral system, sustainable development, and inclusive growth.” The bloc’s agenda is therefore primarily economic and political. They wanted to resist the dollar dominated economy and politics of the world.
Who takes the Credit?
The Prime Minister tweeted, “A great moment for Ethiopia as the BRICS leaders endorse our entry into this esteemed group.” He further emphasized “Ethiopia’s commitment to collaborate with all stakeholders in building an inclusive and prosperous global order.” Now, there is a showdown among the PP leaders and cadres claiming credit to themselves as if it is solely the work of the leadership. However, if one carefully observes, the invitation of the country to join BRICS is solely the strategy of the member countries to expand their influence and resist the Westerners’ influence on the global stage. Let us argue for it. First, as presented above in the 15th BRICS Summit, the Johannesburg II Declaration, which has a total of 94 points. BRICS can only attain this if they build their strategic alliance. Suppose one looks closer to numbers 34 and 35. In that case, it explicitly mentions the collaboration with African countries “to support the African Union Agenda 2063 and to Africa’s efforts towards integration, including through the operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area.” Can this happen without inviting Ethiopia, the African Union’s seat? At least, it is not intelligent not to invite, given Ethiopia’s influence on the African Union continent.
Second, the world has come to understand the true nature of the young, unstable, inconsistent, unprincipled prime minister who tries to deceive every nation and partner on the planet. Today, he will act as if he is the best friend of a member of the BRICS countries, and the next day, he will go and say to the American journalist, “I will die for America.” After a while, he will go to the White House and watch football games with the American president. It is wise to build bilateral relations. However, it should be based on principles and rules. As a matter of fact, the Prime minister has shown his true nature that he is not a person to be trusted for his words, both for the countrymen and for the outsiders. One year, he will be friends with this group of people, wage war on the other group, and cause 1 million people to perish. The following year, he switched partners and called for another war to destroy the same group of people who helped him stay in power. At one time, he partnered with neighboring country Eritrea to squash his opponents within the country. After a few months, he started a propaganda and diplomatic war against Eritrea to get Assab port. Who knows what? Maybe this man is trying to join BRICS to act as a spy and sabotage the partnership to benefit the Westerners. He is dying for acceptance by them. He himself has said that he will die for America.
Third, the competence of the prime minister to comprehend global affairs and contribute meaningfully seems questionable. He was uttering words that did not fit the summit. A Summit for a New Global Financing Pact was hosted two months ago in Paris, France. The goal was to build a new consensus for a more inclusive international financial system. In a way, it tries to tackle the influence of BRICS. During that summit, the primer’s critical thinking level was exposed. He was different from the likes of the Kenyan leader who articulated well what Africans and other developing countries really need on the world stage. In fact, he was heard speaking to the South African leader that he was trying to reach him many times: “I called you 100 times.” It was seen during the summit that people were avoiding greeting him.
Ethiopia is the Elephant; you are the mouse.
The Premier bragged that the world has recognized his endeavor that is why Ethiopia is invited to the group. However, the invitation of Ethiopia to the BRICs is not due to his policy, caliber, or tactic. But due to the fact that Ethiopia is a great nation with great history that deserves to be included in such a strategic partnership. So, claiming that it is due to the work of the leader is like the tale of the mouse who rode the elephant across a bridge, and after getting to the other side, the mouse said, “We really shook that bridge! Ethiopia is the Elephant; you are the mouse. So do not shout a lot. Do not try to take the credit for yourself.
Better Bilateral Relation
Actually, not all Ethiopians welcome the news of joining BRICS as advantageous for Ethiopia. Some are highly skeptical, and they advocate for bilateral relations rather than joining such conflict-driven antagonistic camps. We all remember what happened when Ethiopia joined one of the camps during the COLD WAR I. When the Soviet Union was dismantled into pieces, Ethiopia had its fair share, too. Even today, the division and conflict raging today is the impact of that cold war. Since the forces that divided the country were highly sponsored and empowered by the other camp. According to Henry Kissinger, Henry Alfred Kissinger, an American diplomat, political scientist, geopolitical consultant, and politician who served as United States secretary of state and national security advisor under the presidential administrations of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, since 2018, the world has been officially in the status of COLD WAR II. Joining these camps is, therefore, without consequences.
Editor’s note : Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com
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Look, this very childish and incompetent bipolar pm is swerving Ethiopia violently from one corner to another. Even with the slightest effort, one can see that BRICS has not delivered a single thing to a single nation in the world. BRICS is more a political aggregate that a financial conglomerate. The BRiCS nations roughly are about 3.2 billion people in the world with total gdp roughly the same size as the US which has a population, roughly, of only 1/3.
Just a month ago, this dude was on world stage, literally begging the West to raise money basically for his pet projects and vanity palace construction. He claimed he has plated 25 billion trees – A BIG, PINOCCHIO PANT IS ON FIRE LIE!!!! He came up with $1 raised for every tree. And he thought he could raise $ 20 billion by hook or crook and blabbering about global warming and green legacy. But mind you this is not any disapproval of reforestation or green initiatives. It is his bold face lie and asinine claim of having planted 25 billion trees in 2 years without any sense of shame or self awareness before the International Community.
All macro and micro indicators point toward the inevitable- state collapse. He is NOT CAPABLE OF LEADING!!!!!
HE CANOOT BRING JUSTICE, PEACE AND RECONCILIATION.