The International Politics of Famine Relief Operations Ethiopia:A Case Study of the 1984-86 Famine Relief Operations
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS (UNIVERSITY OF LONDON) The International Politics of Famine Relief Operations Ethiopia:A Case Study of the 1984-86 Famine Relief Operations. by Ghaji Ismaila Bello Thesis Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations. London, 1990 UMI Number: U615376 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U615376 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 THa£SfcS> F x c2 I)3Z022£ ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT vii ACRONYMS viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ix CHAPTER ONE: General Introduction 1. Ethiopia: The Land and Its People 3 2. Ethiopia in Historical Perspectives: The Glorious Past Vis-a-Vis the Inglorious Present 4 3. Ethiopia's World Outlook up to the Mid 1970s 10 4. Ethiopia's Outlook since the Mid 1970s 11 5. Scope of the Thesis 12 6. Methodology And Hypothesis 13 Notes and References 15 PART ONE: CONTEXT OF THE 1984-86 FAMINE CHAPTER TWO: The Causes of Famine 1. Introduction 18 2. History of Famine in Ethiopia 18 3. The Role of Geo-physical Factors 19 4. The Population Factor 21 5. Poor Technology 21 6. Political Factors 22 7. Costs of the Wars 28 8. The Nature of the Current Crises 29 9. Conclusion 3 6 Notes and References 37 CHAPTER THREE: The Media And the Internationalization of Concern 1. Introduction 40 2. The Media as a Relief Actor 41 3. Media's International Setting 42 4. Internationalizing the Famine: the Role of BBC TV 43 5. The Transformation of the Famine 52 6. Conclusion 58 Notes and References 59 PART TWO: THE INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE OF DONORS CHAPTER FOUR: The Bilateral Response of Ethiopia's Political Allies 1. Introduction 62 2. Interstate Relations 63 3. The Relief Response of Allies 74 4. Evaluation of the Allies Humanitarian Assistance 81 5. Conclusion 86 Notes and References 89 CHAPTER FIVE: The Bilateral Response of Ethiopia's Political Opponents 1. Introduction 93 2. Interstate Relations 94 3. USG Bilateral Response 102 4. Bri tish Government Bilateral Response 115 iv 5. Canadian Government Bilateral Response 119 6. The Response of Other Western Countries 125 7. Conclusion 126 Notes and References 131 CHAPTER SIX: The Response of NGOs and Others in The UK. US and Canada 1. Introduction 137 2. The Response in UK 138 3. The Response in US 152 4. The Response in Canada 164 5. Conclusion 170 Notes and References 171 CHAPTER SEVEN: The Role of the United Nations 1. Introduction 178 2. The UN's Early Involvement 179 3. The Role of Mobilizer of Relief 185 4. The Legitimizer of Recipients Relief Requirements 187 5. The Guarantor of Donors' Aid 191 6. The Role of Coordinator 191 7. The Mediator Between Donors and the Recipient 202 8. Conclusion 203 Notes and References 205 V PART THREE: EVALUATING THESIS UNDERLINING ASSUMPTIONS CHAPTER EIGHT: Humanitarian Relief And International Politics 1. Introduction 210 2. The Origins of Humanitarian Relief 210 3. The Assumptions of Humanitarian Relief and International Response 211 4. The Needs Factor and the Humanitarian Basis of International Response 222 5. The Availability Factor 223 6. The Nature of Political Systems 224 7. The Expectations of Donors 225 8. The Western Public 236 9. Conclusion 238 Notes and References 240 CHAPTER NINE: General Conclusion 244 Notes to Conclusion 255 Appendices 256 Selected Bibliography 280 List of Interviews 293 List of TV Documentaries 297 vi LIST OF TABLES Page 1. Table 1. Estimates of the Number of People Affected in the 14 regions 31 2. Table 2. Food Aid Assistance from Ethiopia's Allies 1984-1986 87 3. Table 3. Transport Assistance from Ethiopia's Allies 88 4. Table 4. Summary of Major Items donated to Ethiopia by Political Opponents (valued in Ethiopian Birr) 128 5. Table 5. Food Assistance Requirements of 1985 190 6. Table 6. Emergency Food Aid delivered at Ports December 1, 1984 to December 31, 1985 192 7. Table 7. Emergency Airlift Resources 200 8. Table 8. Donor Food Aid, 1985, and 1986 215 9. Table 9. Total Non-Food Assistance to the UN 1985-86. 218 10.Table 10.Non-Food Aid Contribution to the RRC 1984-86 219 vii ABSTRACT This thesis is a study of the international relief assistance to Ethiopia during the 1984-86 famine. It begins by examining the country's glorious past vis-a-vis its present international status. In Part One, the underlying causes of the famine are discussed to provide a background to the subsequent analysis of the international relief effort. Also discussed, is the role of the international media in alerting public opinion and successfully transforming the famine into an issue of international concern. In Part Two, the responses of the various actors are analysed: in particular the bilateral response of Ethiopia's political allies and her opponents; of the Western non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the role of the United Nations in coordinating the international relief effort at the multilateral level. Part Three (Chapter Eight), tests the theoretical assumptions outlined at the beginning of the thesis. With regard to the first, namely the relative importance of opponents and allies, the study concludes Ethiopia's political opponents were more responsive to her appeal for emergency relief than her allies. With regard to the second, namely the role of the NGOs the conclusion is that these organizations played the most important role in shaping the international response to the emergency. Chapter Nine summarizes our general conclusions. viii ACRONYMS AICL International Action Contre La Faim BBC British Broadcasting Corporation CBC Canadian Broadcasting Corporation DEC Disaster Emergency Committee (UK) EEC European Economic Community FRG Federal Republic of Germany GDR German Democratic Republic ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross I TV Independent Television LWF Lutheran World Federation MSF(Belgium) Medicine Sans Frontiere NGOs Non-governmental organizations ODA Overseas Development Administration (UK) RRC Relief and Rehabilitation Commission UN United Nations WVRO World Vision Relief Organization ix Acknowledgements Since embarking on this project I have incurred various debts from many people and organizations that words alone are inadequate to convey my humble gratitude. Certainly there is no way I can pay back, but I do assure you all that I will share the benefits of what I have learned with others whenever and wherever it becomes incumbent on me to do so- whether in the classroom, where I will return to, or outside, in the real world of life. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to James Mayall for supervising this thesis and for his support in providing contacts during my field trip to Ethiopia. I would like to acknowledge my thanks to the Bauchi State Government for giving me the opportunity to undertake this project in the first place and to my employers, the University of Jos who encouraged me. I would also like to acknowledge my thanks to the Central Research Fund (University of London) for the grant given to me from Irwin Fund which made it possible for me to undertake the field trip to Ethiopia. I am grateful to all my interviewees for giving me audience and sharing with me their knowledge and expertise on famine and relief operations. I am grateful to Dr. Randolph C. Kent for his support on numerous occasions during the course of this research. I am grateful to Professor Richard Pankhurst of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies University of Addis Ababa for his invaluable help in opening contact with the officials of the Ethiopian Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) and for arranging the interview with Ato Shimelis Adugna. At the RRC I wish to register my thanks to Teferi Wossen, former Head of the RRC's Public Relations for his kind support which allowed me access to the RRC's library and documentation centre and the Audio- Visual Services. Iam also grateful to Elfnesh Asfaw, Head of the Audio-Visual unit for transcribing the documentaries of the Famine onto audio tapes. Iam also grateful to Tamrat Kebede, Head of the Aid Coordination and Public Relations Department, and his staff for making available to me data on the international response of donors. I would like to thank the Library staff of the London School of Economics, the Staff of the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House and the staff of the Newspaper Library at Colindale. I wish also to register my appreciation to Dr Murray Last for allowing me access to his books Shelve. To Dr. Paul Richard for granting me audience on more than one occasion. I would also like to acknowledge my thanks to my friend Mr. Arab, A. Yadam for his assistance and friendship during my field work in Ethiopia. To Sarah Wellburn, Sarah H.Obied, Dr.Mohammed Munkaila, Dr. Andrew Haruna, Yakubu Mukhtar, Rev.Dr. Hassan, Tajudeen Abduraheem, Haruna Garba, Mohammed Hussain, Kabir Manka and Bature Ali for their interest in my work. Many thanks to you all. To the memory of my late brothers, Abu'nas and Idris, : late sister Hawwa'u. To the famine victims. And to the greater glory of my beloved continent, Africa.