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የኢትዮጵያ ምሁራንና ባለሙያዎች መድረክ ፲፫ኛ ጉባኤ

 Forum for Ethiopian Scholars & Professionals (FESP) 13^th Conference

Conference Report, September 10, 2024

The Board of the Forum for Ethiopian Scholars and Professionals (FESP) wishes all Ethiopians a happy and peaceful New Year and is pleased to release this short report and the unedited videos of its 13^th conference. The conference was organized, in a colloquium form, in partnership with the Network of Ethiopian Scholars (NES-Global). The  dates were August 3&4, 2024, and the colloquium was held virtually. The theme was “political culture & the challenges of transition” (ጥልቅ ውይይት ስለፖለቲካ  ባህልና የሽግግር ፈተናዎች). The colloquium was preceded by two rounds of calls for papers. To reach the wider Ethiopian public, the presentations were made in the Amharic language. We thank Dr. Kone Fiseha of Fairfax University for helping us with the technology and Miss Reyot Alemu of Mengizem Media for transmitting the proceedings “as is.”

There were eleven presentations, and the total length of the videos is about eight and half hours. The papers dealt with governance, economic consequences of the civil wars, international law & landlocked-ness, and alternative and transitional justice. Two speakers, Dr. Mahemud  Eshetu and Dr. Abu Girma, were not able to present due to unforeseen problems. Dr. Mahemud’s paper entitled “Swimming Against the Current: Ethiopia’s Quest for Access to the Red Sea Under International Law, is published in a peer reviewed journal (Fordham International Law Journal). The abstract of Dr. Abu’s presentation, which focused on economic transition, is included in this report. Three presentations dealt with the thorny issue of political transition.

There were two invited speakers. The August 3 speaker was Professor Mesfin Genanaw, Professor & Chair, Department of Accounting, Houston Community College, and Visiting Professor, University of Houston. Professor Mesfin, using poems, presented a paper entitled “Reflections on the evolution, fracture, and failure of Ethiopia’s elite political culture: An educator’s perspective.” The August 4 speaker was Professor Mammo Muchie, Research Professor at the Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa. The title of his presentation was “Development, ethnicity, innovation & the competition for power/scarce resources in Ethiopia: A Pan- African Perspective.” Professor Mammo underscored the importance of bringing back ubuntu (ይሉኝታ) to the culture of Ethiopia’s political elite. The messages of both speakers complemented one another and underscored the need for a new dialogue on transition.

The Master of Ceremonies was Dr. Yohannes Zeleke, Archeologist and Research Associate, Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C. In his opening remarks Dr. Yohannes noted Ethiopia’s failed transitions and underscored that scholars and professionals should continue to engage with the thorny issue of transition until the country’s political elite gets it right. Scholars and professionals cannot be silent when the country is faced with multiple challenges, Dr. Yohannes emphasized. He remarked that over its long history of Statehood Ethiopia has had kings, queens, presidents and prime ministers that came from various parts of the country, but did not have an accountable government.

Professor Minga Negash of MSU Denver and the University of the Witwatersrand (Johannesburg) open the colloquium. He indicated the that 13^th conference was planned to be held in the first week of January  2024,  in partnership with the Institute of Ethiopian Studies (IES) of Addis Ababa University. The conference was  postponed on account of the August 4, 2023, State of Emergency. Like Dr. Yohannes, Professor Minga underscored that transition has been on the agenda of FESP for nearly a decade. He indicated that over 250 people, including the late Professor Mesfin Wolde Mariam, Ambassador Dr. Kassa Kebede, Ato Zewde Muleta, and Dr. Mulat Demeke, and W/o Meskerem Abera, who is now a political prisoner, have delivered papers that relate to transition at FESP/VE forums.

Notwithstanding the abundance of publicly available resources on transition, Ethiopia is undergoing through a series of complex ethnoreligious conflicts and economic crisis. To complicate matters the Greater Horn of Africa Region is in deep trouble. Somalia,  Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea respectively rank 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd,12^th and 26^th in the Fund for Peace 2024 Fragile States Index. As the fragility of the Horn of Africa States continue, the geopolitical dynamics have also changed, resurrecting colonial era Egyptian and Turkish aspirations over the Nile basin and the maritime choke points on the Red Sea. Hence, rethinking political culture and post conflict transition in the context of the emerging geopolitical dynamics is an appropriate and time sensitive theme for the 13^th conference, Professor Minga underscored.

Consistent with the literature, in this colloquium political culture is defined as  “the beliefs, opinions, and emotions of the citizens toward their form of government” and the term “transition” is defined as “change or shift from one state, subject, place,  to another.” The United Nations documents that “national dialogue” is an instrument for resolving “political crises and lead countries into political transitions.” More than two  and half years have passed since the establishment of the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission. Unfortunately, the guns have not been fully silenced. Hence, a new discourse on political culture & transition has become imperative.

Below please find the edited synopsis of the presentations and the links to the videos. Please note that the intellectual property rests on the authors/speakers and the FESP has endeavored to provide an independent forum. Notwithstanding these, the FESP does not endorse or oppose a particular position or viewpoint, research result, or statement. It is up to the user of the information to examine, understand, and interpret the messages.

SESSION ONE

Date: Saturday, August 3, 2024

Session Theme:

Political culture in the HPD (humanitarian, peace & development) nexus.            

Speaker #1

Dr. Wuhibegezer Ferede, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science and International Studies, Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia. “Revisiting the National Political Reform in Ethiopia.”

Synopsis

The main aim of this study is to evaluate the 2018 national reform and its institutionalization. To achieve this goal, a sequential mixed approach is adopted for data collection and analysis. The primary data is collected using a structured questionnaire from 2,116 employees of federal, regional, and city administration offices. An additional 30 key informant interviews and 22 focus group discussions are conducted to further support the survey. The survey data is also collected from Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, and Somali regional states, in addition to Addis Ababa. Secondary sources, including published materials and reports about the reform, were also consulted. The qualitative approach was used to assess the current national reform in terms of its nature, substance, legitimacy, and future orientation, while the quantitative approach was used to examine the level of institutionalization. The findings of the study revealed that the reform suffers from a lack of contextual consideration, a gradualist non-sequential reform approach, a lack of consensus on the reform agenda, and a lack of government capacity for enforcing which exposed it to ex-post constraints of reversal. The paper recommends the need for critical revision and charting out new efficacious institutionalization before the upcoming election.

Speaker #2

Ato  Kefale Beyazen, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Political Science & International Relations, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. “The Economic Implications of Civil War in Ethiopia: A focus on Post-2018 Internal Conflicts.”

Synopsis

This research explored the economic implications of the civil war in Ethiopia, with a specific focus on the post-2018 internal conflicts. The main research questions employed to address the objective were: What were the causes of the civil war and how did it affect national economic activities? A mixed-methods approach combining qualitative and quantitative research methods was employed. The qualitative component involves in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, including government officials and ordinary citizens. These interviews showed subjective experiences, perspectives, and narratives related to the economic effects of the civil war in Ethiopia. Thematic analysis was utilized to identify recurring themes, patterns, and interrelationships within the qualitative data. Data were collected using both primary and secondary sources from February 30 to April 25, 2024. The study found that civil war and internal conflicts had substantially impacted Ethiopia, GDP growth with nearly a loss of 26% of the country’s GDP, raised the cost of living as 59% of this loss was on agriculture that feeds the population, burdening the country  with a total of $54.7 billion of both foreign and local debts, of which $29 billion is foreign debt, and drained investment following the suspension from AGOA. The  disruption of economic activities led to a decline in overall economic output as GDP growth dropped to 2% in 2021, which was the lowest in more than two decades in the country’s history.

Speaker #3

Ato Eyob Esatu Bura, Executive Director, Organization for Innovation and Sustainable Development Africa,  Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. “Alternative and Transitional Justice Measures: Identifying Policy Gaps and Opportunities for Building Sustainable Peace and Stability in Post-Conflict Ethiopia.”

Synopsis

The major objective of this study is to identify the policy gaps, challenges and opportunities for alternative and transitional justice measures implementation exploring innovative approaches to promote accountability and reconciliation in post- conflict setting that would maintain sustainable peace and stability in post conflict Ethiopia. The methodologies used are qualitative methods of data collection and data analysis. Interviews and focus group discussion  were held with various stakeholders and local actors including youth/women associations were consulted to garner adequate and relevant data.  The indication for the de jure effect of the transitional justice is that it lacks clear roadmap for Ethiopia for reconciliation and sustainable peace of the country.

Discussion and Q&A

Professor Worku Abera, Professor & Chair, Department of Economics, Dawson College, Quebec, Canada discussed  the papers by Ato Kefale and commented on Dr. Mahemud paper. Professor Worku used data from the World Bank to demonstrate trends and  questioned the the claims of the government about the health of the economy. Almost all macroeconomic, fiscal, inflation, and exchange rate trends were declining sharply in recent years. He also questioned whether reforms that are based on IMF conditionalities are solution for the ills of the nation.

During the Q&A session the discussion was enriched further. Whether a meaningful election can be done in a “state capture” phenomenon, how to transition ethnic/regional parties into country-wide parties,  whether the estimation of the damage caused by the civil wars could be improved by using opportunity costs (ECG type models), the link between GDP growth rate and inflation rate tolerance level, and whether incumbent regimes can claim jurisdictional sovergneity over internationally recognized atrocity crimes (genocide, war crime, ethnic cleansing, serious human right violations) were identified as areas that need further examination.     

The session chair for the August 3, 2024, colloquium was Dr. Abate Getahun, an Associate Professor of Languages and Communication, Wollo University, and General Manager of ARRFO and Job Creation Advisor, Addis Ababa. The closing remarks for the session were provided by Dr. Mesfin Mirotchie of Statistics Canada, Ontario, Canada.

Links to  video

FESP YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/v9_z3w_BiQ8

Mengizem media  (please ignore adverts)

           Part I : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7cnrECE0sk&t=29s

           Part II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDhtPgpgLEU&t=669s

   

SESSION TWO

Date: Sunday, August 4, 2024

Session Theme: Resetting the dialogue and discussion of the varieties of post conflict transitions.

The  session chair started the presentations with remarks regarding transition and FESP’s previous works on the topic. He raised basic (textbook type) questions and asked the conditions that necessitate and/or spark political transition. He reminded the audience that between April 2018 and now over one million people have perished in the Tigray war alone (Olusegun Obasanjo Nov 19, 2022), the permanent cessation of hostilities agreement (COHA) is fragile, new armed conflict has emerged in second most populus region of Amhara, and the conflict in Oromia region has persisted. The intensity of the conflicts varies but they are both vertical and horizontal. The country is facing crisis in multiple (climate, economy, governance, humanitarian, peace, and security) fronts. Added to the domestic problems is the emerging geopolitical dynamics in the Greater Horn of Africa Region where geopolitical tensions are creating new alliances/counter alliances and opportunities for invasion and proxy wars. Below please find the synopsis of Dr. Abu Girma and the names and the titles of the three presentations. There are a few transition plans that are being proposed by individuals and groups. The three presentations are examples and demonstrate the varieties and contextuality of transitions. Since they are “position papers” FESP did not review the documents. Two of the three documents are in the public domain.

Speaker #1 (not in the videos)

 Dr. Abu Girma, Associate Professor of Economics University of Tsukuba (Japan), former Vice President of the Ethiopian Economic Association. “Ethiopia: On Economic Transition to Sustainable and Inclusive Development.”

 Synopsis

The Ethiopian economy is currently in deep crisis. The level of economic underdevelopment coupled with failure to initiate robust and shared economic growth, high and expanding unemployment of resources, prevalence of abject poverty, noticeable increase in inequality of income and opportunity, over dependence on crisis prone agriculture, unsustainable fiscal and public debt situation, worsening external economic and payment positions are but some of the typical barometers of the state and performance of the Ethiopian economy. Furthermore, the political and security environment in which the economy operates has given rise to massive destructions and disruptions, rapid erosion in an already weak capital stock of the economy leading the economy into a state of desperate struggle for survival. It is from such a background that this presentation focuses on economic transition and necessary policy reforms towards sustainable and inclusive economic development prospects. It sketches a framework model that takes into consideration the critical economic forces upon which the country could employ to initiate, sustain, and consolidate robust economic growth. The presentation develops a theoretical-cum-empirical argument on the prudence and necessity of a bold economic policy shift to unleash the power of private sector driven-market forces towards broad based, inclusive, and efficient allocation of the critical resources in the system. Finally, it sets the argument from the perspectives of the major sectoral framework of the household and corporate private sectors, the public sector, and the external economy to examine the roles and constraints faced by the four decision making units of the national economy in an open macroeconomy perspective.

Speaker #2

Ato Lidetu Ayalew, Former Member of the House of Peoples Representatives  (Federal Parliament) of  Ethiopia. “Transition: What type and process? Why & how?” The document is available  here

Speaker #2

Professor Berhanu Abegaz, Professor of Economics, College of William and Mary, VA and Ato Samuel Habte, Chairperson of Congress of Ethiopian Civic Associations (CECA). “A Citizen-Centered Roadmap for Systemic Political Transition in Ethiopia.” The document is available here

Speaker #3

Professor Achamyeleh Debela, Professor of Art and Computer Graphics,  North Carolina Central University, and Professor Getachew Metaferia, Professor of Political Science at Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD. “Ethiopia’s evolving crisis: A scenario-based roadmap for transition.”  Interested person(s) can directly request a copy from the authors. 

Links to video

FESP YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c_PqVnRDeA&t=46s

Mengizem Media (please ignore the adverts)

             Part III: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5iLBDOPvpQ&t=338s

             Part IV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=318mlYYG-_k&t=241s

The session chair was Professor Minga Negash. Dr. Yohannes Zeleke provided the vote of thanks and closed the colloquium.

The takeaways from the colloquium

• Ethiopian policy makers, social and political actors, as well as media owners must realize that the nature of the Ethiopian civil war is ethnoreligious. The solution must be contextual and apply tried and tested methods.
• A comprehensive, countrywide, permanent, and transparent cession of hostilities agreement is  the basis for a post conflict transition. In the absence of such a plan, the risk of disintegration is high. Three of the four speakers were skeptical about the notion that the current Prime Minister will be part of transition.    
• It is well-known that the IMF and World Bank policies did not work in many Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) economies. Furthermore, in the short term there was/is no indication that the U.S. sanctions against Ethiopia would be lifted (see Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 180 and Whitehouse Press Release of September 6, 2024). A humanitarian, peace, and development (HPD) nexus would have been a better avenue.
• The contest for the control of the sources of the Blue Nile (አባይ) and the maritime chock points have not been adequately explored in this colloquium. A colloquium on political culture and transition leaves a void if it does not examine the emerging geopolitical dynamics, multipolarity, alliances, and the influence on domestic politics. We hope this matter will be adequately explored in the future.       

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የኢትዮጵያ ምሁራንና ባለሙያዎች መድረክ ፲፫ኛ ጉባኤ Forum for Ethiopian Scholars & Professionals 13^th Conference  ጥልቅ ውይይት ስለፖለቲካ ባህልና የሽግግር ፈተናዎች Colloquium on Political Culture & the Challenges of Transition

In partnership with

Network of Ethiopian Scholars (NES-Global)

https://nesglobal.org/

Penultimate Program

Washington DC time	Saturday, August 3, 2024
8:45 am	Start of transmission: Zoom connection & media.  Host Dr. Kone Fiseha, University of Fairfax, Researcher in Cyber Security, VA.
9:00 am	Call to order. Master of ceremonies:  Dr. Yohannes Zeleke, Archeologist and Research Associate, Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C.
9:10	Opening and welcome Professor Minga Negash, Professor of Accounting, Metropolitan State University of Denver, CO. and Visiting Professor, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.
9:20	Guest Speaker Professor Mesfin Genanaw, Professor & Chair, Department of Accounting, Houston Community College, and Visiting Professor, University of Houston. “Reflections on the evolution, fracture, and failure of Ethiopia’s elite political culture: An educator’s perspective.”
9:50	SESSION ONE Session Theme  Political culture in the humanitarian, peace and development (HPD) nexus.    Session Chair Dr. Abate Getahun, Associate Professor of Languages and Communication, General Manager for ARRFO, Senior Job Creation Advisor for Amhara Region, and Former President of Wollo University.    Speakers (1) Dr. Wuhibegezer Ferede, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science and International Studies, Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia. “Revisiting the National Political Reform in Ethiopia.”  (2) Ato  Kefale Beyazen, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. “The Economic Implications of Civil War in Ethiopia: A focus on Post-2018 Internal Conflicts.” (3) Dr. Mahemud Tekuya, McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific  and College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, OR. “ A Multiple Streams Explanation of the U.S. policies on Ethiopia:” (4) Ato Eyob Esatu, Executive Director, Organization for Innovation and Sustainable Development Africa,  Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. “Alternative and Transitional Justice Measures: Identifying Policy Gaps and Opportunities for Building Sustainable Peace and Stability in Post-Conflict Ethiopia.”
11:50	Professor Worku Abera, Professor & Chair, Department of Economics, Dawson College, Quebec, Canada. ”Discussion of  the papers on the economic implications of the civil war and the multiple streams explanation of U.S. policies towards Ethiopia.”
12:25	Closing remarks and vote of thanks Dr. Mesfin Mirotchie, Senior Economist, Deflation, Statistics Canada, Ontario, Canada.
12:30	End of Session #1
Washington DC time	Sunday, August 4  2024
8:45 am	Start of transmission: Zoom connection & media   Host Dr. Kone Fiseha, University of Fairfax, Researcher in Cyber Security, VA.
9:00 am	Call to order Master of ceremonies:  Dr. Yohannes Zeleke, Archeologist and Research Associate, Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C.
9:10 am	Guest Speaker Professor Mammo Muchie, Research Professor, Department of Science & Technology/National Research Foundation, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa. “Development, ethnicity, innovation & the competition for power/scarce resources in Ethiopia: A Pan- African Perspective.”
9:45 am	SESSION TWO Theme: Resetting the dialogue on the varieties of post conflict transitions.  Session Chair Professor Minga Negash, Professor of Accounting, Metropolitan State University of Denver, CO. and Visiting Professor, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Speakers (1) Dr. Abu Girma, Associate Professor of Economics, Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Japan. “Ethiopia: On Economic Transition to Sustainable and Inclusive Development.” (2) Ato Lidetu Ayalew, Former Member of the House of Peoples Representatives  (Federal Parliament) of  Ethiopia. “Transition: What type and  process? Why & how?” (3) Professor Berhanu Abegaz, Professor of Economics, College of William and Mary, VA and Ato Samuel Habte, Chairperson of Congress of Ethiopian Civic Associations (CECA). “A Citizen-Centered Roadmap for Systemic Political Transition in Ethiopia.” (4) Professor Achamyeleh Debela, Professor of Art and Computer Graphics,  North Carolina Central University, and Professor Getachew Metaferia, Professor of Political Science at Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD. “Ethiopia’s evolving crisis: A scenario-based roadmap for transition.”
12:00	Discussion and Q & A
12:25	Concluding remarks and vote of thanks Dr. Yohannes Zeleke, Archeologist and Research Associate, Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C.
12:30	End of conference/ colloquium
	Visit FESP’s Booth @ Colorado’s Taste of Ethiopia Cultural Festival (August 3 &4 2024)        City of Denver Montbello Rec Center, 5555 E. 53rd Ave., Denver, CO 80239                  For more information https://www.tasteofethiopia.org/

 Code of Conduct & Guidelines  

The Forum for Ethiopian Scholars and Professionals (FESP) tries to adhere to the standards of professional  conduct. These guidelines are intended for all participants to establish minimum standards and expectations to ensure a productive and successful conference and colloquia. The conference will be transmitted live. Hence the standards and etiquettes required for formal online meetings will be applied.

                                                    Session Chairs 

Session chairs and presenters should connect to the conference using a Private ZOOM link that will be sent by  FESP. Please expect an email and link from Dr. Kone Fiseha. Please do not share the link with another person. All speakers  must test their  audio and video and ensure that they can share their Power Point and other material that they want to use for their presentation. Please ensure that your video is of television quality (good lighting, uncluttered background & business or traditional attire).

One of the most important responsibilities of session chairs is ensuring that sessions and presentations start and finish on time, without any exception. We request session chairs to pay attention to the following:

• Please ensure that your connection is working. Allow enough time for the technicians to get you connected. Try to be available early, at least thirty minutes before the start of the conference to check your settings.
• Introduce all speakers at the beginning of the session. Please no long vita. It should not take more than one minute to introduce a speaker.
• Do not try to answer questions that may be directed to the speakers. The chat line for this colloquium is closed. Ignore all malicious comments and unidentified communications.
• Promote collegiality and respectfulness during Q & A, and always.
• Please put your cellphone in silent mode and read text messages and reminders that may come from  the conference committee.
• Alert presenters five minutes and one minute before the end of their time, and you should stop the speaker on time.
• Do not paraphrase what a speaker or the speakers have said and refrain from giving your opinion or talking about your research/experience or your organization. You might want to give additional references to the audience for research.
• Please note the difference between a “Session Chair” and a “Moderator”. A session chair is “responsible for clearly communicating expectations and logistical information about the session” while a moderator is “responsible for guiding the direction and flow of discussion”. You are a session chair and not a moderator. 

Speakers

All speakers are reminded that the purpose of their presentation is to contribute to policy formulation and implementation. Your presentation must end with two/three doable concrete policy proposals. The policy must have been tried and tested and benefit all Ethiopians. The conference is not a platform for promoting a speaker’s organization or business or unfounded opinion. As such, all presenters are expected to be non-partisan,  and should have no conflict of interest whatsoever. It is not a forum for advocacy, however worthy your cause might be. It is not a forum for rationalizing conflict and separatism.

Speakers  are requested to make note of the following:

• Please ensure that your presentation is of high quality, focused and understandable by non-experts in the field, the public, “Generation Z”, policymakers, and all political actors.
• To reach a larger audience please note that the language used in the conference is Amharic. Presenters who are unable to speak the Amharic language may present their work in English. Your power point can be in either Amharic or English.
• Please note that the forum is not created for canvassing support. Stick to the paper/abstract that has been reviewed.
• To the extent possible, avoid complex mathematical/statistical modelling, technical jargons, abstraction, crude generalizations, and aggressive, inflammatory, offensive or divisive language.
• Address individuals, political organizations, institutions, governments and social groups using their formal names, ranks, titles, etc. and the way they would like to be called.
• Keep your presentation to 25 minutes and allow time for questions and answers. Please try to get your key messages across as early as possible. If your presentation is longer than the allotted time, you will run the risk of being cut off, without communicating the main points of your paper.
• Limit your answers to the question(s) directed to you and answer them in two minutes or less.
• Please note that the event will be transmitted live and recorded. It will be available for public viewing for an indefinite period. While the intellectual property rests on the speaker/presenter the copyright to the material belongs to FESP.
• Important Disclaimer: Neither FESP nor its board members take responsibility, whatsoever, for what a speaker has said or did not say or for any damages that may arise from the presentation or use of the information. It is the speaker’s sole responsibility to avoid any civil or criminal litigation that might arise from the use/misuse of information presented at this forum.
• Please allow time for technological glitches that might occur. Be patient.

Online participants

We encourage online viewers to participate using the Q&A option. There is a separate link for online participants. All questions that get sent will be moderated. It is at the sole discretion  of the session chair to decide which questions/comments should be answered. Please comply with the following guidelines:-

• Make sure that your question is relevant to the theme of the session.
• State your full name (no pen name or unidentified cellphone), your institutional affiliation, the country where you are, and identify the speaker to whom the question is addressed to.
• As a matter of courtesy, be brief and ask only one question. No long comments will be entertained. Do not send file attachments.
• If you are given the opportunity to ask your question verbally, you should be on video.
• Address individuals, political organizations, governments, institutions, and social groups using their formal names, ranks, titles, etc. and the way they would like to be called. Use of derogatory and/or downgrading/condescending adjectives/codes/pronouns that is judgmental or insulting attitude is disallowed.

 Media owners

For this conference the  FESP has not commissioned a specific media outlet to market and record and transmit. Media owners who want to transmit the proceedings of this colloquium,  undertake to (i) transmit the proceedings “as is”  and indicate that it is the “ courtesy of FESP.”  No part of this colloquium may be transmitted or re-transmitted for commercial purposes or profiling social/religious groups.  Media owners are requested to assist in educating the public about plagiarism and polarization.

Please note that FESP, the authors, editors, publishers, and/or any  partner do not accept responsibility, whatsoever, for errors or omissions, or  for the consequences of application of information. We draw the attention of media owners and YouTubers to Title 18 of the  United States Code on the prohibition of illicit digital transmission and equivalent international laws. Disputes arising from transgression of digital transmission laws will be handled in accordance with the relevant jurisdiction.

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         ኢትዮጵያ ምሁራንና ባለሙያዎች መድረክ ፲፫ኛ ጉባኤ
Forum for Ethiopian Scholars & Professionals (FESP)

13th Conference

Colloquium on political culture and the challenges of transition

Second & final call for abstracts and papers

                    June 28, 2024

The Board of the Forum for Ethiopian Scholars and Professionals (FESP) is pleased to announce that its 13th conference will be held virtually on August 3 & 4, 2024. It will run concurrently with Taste of Ethiopia’s 10th annual cultural festival in Denver Colorado. The main theme of the conference / colloquium is the contextual reexamination of the link between political culture and transition.

The literature states that “the building blocks of political culture are the beliefs, opinions, and emotions of the citizens toward their form of government.” The term transition in turn means different things to different people. In this call for papers, we retain the thesaurus meaning of “a change or shift from one state, subject, place, to another.” The United Nations documents that national dialogue as an instrument for resolving “political crises and lead countries into political transitions.”

Terms like ሽግግር and/or ጊዜያዊ , respectively transition and provisional, are not new in the Ethiopian political lexicon. Furthermore, since our establishment in 2015, over 250 notable scholars, professionals, social critics, activists, religious leaders, representatives of youth and women, former cabinet ministers, and the current Prime Minister of Ethiopia, have used our forum to share their viewpoints on transition. A careful review of the themes of the twelve conferences, especially the last three, indicates that no transition agenda, including the Ethiopian National Dialogue, has been unexplored. Notwithstanding these and other efforts, the size and complexity of the conflicts have increased. Between April 2018 and now over one million people have died in the Tigray war, the permanent cessation of hostilities agreement (COHA) is fragile, new armed conflict has emerged in second most populous region (Amhara region) and the conflict in Oromia region has persisted. Cross country economic and public governance indices are showing deteriorating trends. The United Nations, U.S., donor agencies and rights organizations have continued to document that the country is facing crisis in multiple (climate, economy, governance, humanitarian, peace, and security) fronts. Added to the domestic problems is the emerging geopolitical dynamics in the Greater Horn of Africa Region.

FESP is looking for manuscripts that would contextually and dispassionately re-examine the role of political culture in transition. Authors need to ground their work on policy literature and generate a focused/actionable policy response. The forum is for a new policy dialogue at national level, not intended for advocacy and/or activism, however important the cause may be. Authors must make a dispassionate analysis of the stubborn issues of transition in the much touted HDP (humanitarian, development and peace) nexus.

There is abundant literature on ethnoreligious conflicts in the Sub Sahara Africa (SSA)
region and elsewhere. In his lecture on “Macro-political Approaches to Ethnic Conflict
Resolution,” Professor Brendan O’Leary of the University of Pennsylvania documented that many countries have tried to eliminate and/or mend ethnonational differences using
various methods. Using O’Leary’s and/or similar framework papers that reexamine the
political culture of “ruling elites” in resolving ethnoreligious conflicts in contemporary
Ethiopia are welcome.
• Explaining why the promises of change (ሽግግር/ጊዜያዊ) fail to materialize. Using a tried and
tested analytical framework authors need to outline the ways and means of disrupting
autocratization to enhance the resilience of the institutions of accountability.
• If change is imminent, in “big bang” or in “gradual” form, succinctly outline the main policy anchors of transition, stating under each scenario and millstones, the time limit, and the key actors/stakeholders. Beyond discontents, the rights (individual versus group) advocacy, protests and populism, papers that contextually find mitigation for “the
scourge” of ethnicity and patrimonialism and, enhance the resilience of institutions of
accountability and democracy are welcome.
• Should Ethiopia ban ethnic parties like most of post-colonial Africa? What is the
mechanism?
• Is there a trade-off between United Nations Genocide Convention and the sovereignty of
countries? What is the standard practice/environment in dispensing transition &
restorative justice? How does one create the enabling environment?
• Papers that re-examine Ethiopia’s appropriate place in the Horn of Africa/Red Sea Region.
Are the Jeddah & Algiers peace agreements with Eritrea and the MOU with Somaliland
still alive? What is the way out? What are the emerging geopolitical alliances in the new
“multipolar” power structure?
• Papers that reexamine the management of the national economy. Using reliable data and
econometric methods papers that examine the macroeconomic statistics in the HDP nexus.
• Papers that re-examine the push and pull factors in recent Ethiopian outmigration, refugee
repatriation programs, size & shape of the diaspora, diaspora’s effectiveness in advocating
for itself, and in influencing change in Ethiopia.
• Papers that re-examine the capital city issue, the size, shape & status of Addis Ababa, its gentrification projects, evictions & wealth transfer, sustainability & heritage extinction.

Authors should realize that their manuscripts are for public consumption and presented at a
scholars and professionals forum. The selection of a manuscript depends on its depth, relevance, dispassionate and nonpartisan analysis of the problems, and ease of being understandable to the public. The presentations will be transmitted live. Media owners and individuals may transmit the proceedings “as is.” Every effort is made to ensure that information presented at our conferences are accurate and consistent with generally accepted standards. We also plan to open space for community/civil society organizations and, like our most recent conferences, we will invite speakers. Please note that FESP, the authors, editors, publishers, media owners and/or any sponsoring partners do not accept responsibility, whatsoever, for errors or omissions, or misuse of the forum or for the consequences of application of information.

Speakers are expected to use a language that is understood by most Ethiopians. Papers and panel proposals will go through a review process. Speakers at panels and community /civil society forums must avoid the use of anecdotal evidence, “selection bias,” ethnic & religious bigotry, pseudoscience, antagonistic and /or offensive language. Authors and speakers must use the formal names of individuals and organizations and refrain from illogical classification/ labelling/taxonomy of population and/or political-social groups. Use of AI may be useful for study purposes, but speakers must have the experience and requisite competency in the subject matter.

Final acceptance of a paper or panel or forum proposal is at the sole discretion of the conference committee. Completed papers or extended abstracts not exceeding 3000 words should be sent to forumforethiopianscholars.profe@gmail.com on or before Monday, July 22, 2024. Rights advocacy groups and community associations wishing to get a slot should send their inquiries to the same email address.

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