Diplomarbeit Titel der wissenschaftlichen Arbeit Multi-ethnic Ethiopia Why and How the Federal State of Ethiopia Persits Until Now Verfasserin Melanie Jessner Angestrebter akademischer Grad Magistra der Philosophie (Mag. phil.) Wien, 2012 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt: A 300 Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt: Politikwissenschaft Betreuer: Doz. tit. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Otmar Höll To my mother and my father who have always supported me And to my Ethiopian friends who made me be part of their cultures Table of Contents Preface ........................................................................................................................................... 9 1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 11 2. Methodological Approach .................................................................................................... 15 3. Theoretical Framework ........................................................................................................ 19 3.1. Typology of Conflict Resolution ................................................................................... 19 3.1.1. Destructive Concepts of Conflict Resolution ........................................................ 19 3.1.1.1. Secession and Separation ............................................................................. 19 3.1.1.2. Unintended Assimilation and Relocation ..................................................... 20 3.1.1.3. Dominance and Discrimination .................................................................... 21 3.1.2. Constructive Concepts of Conflict Resolution ...................................................... 22 3.1.2.1. Territorial Autonomy .................................................................................... 23 3.1.2.2. Cultural Autonomy ....................................................................................... 24 3.1.2.3. Personal Autonomy ...................................................................................... 25 3.1.2.4. Functional Autonomy ................................................................................... 25 3.1.2.5. Federalism .................................................................................................... 26 3.2. Conflict Resolution within the Federal State ............................................................... 30 3.2.1. Ethno-regional Federalism ................................................................................... 30 3.2.2. Functional Federalism .......................................................................................... 31 3.2.3. Asymmetrical Federalism ..................................................................................... 31 3.2.4. Multi-ethnic Federalism ....................................................................................... 32 3.3. Ethnicity ........................................................................................................................ 33 3.4. Nation, Nationality and People .................................................................................... 35 3.5. Nationalism .................................................................................................................. 37 3.6. The Politics of Ethnicity and Nationalism ..................................................................... 39 3.7. Constitutionalism ......................................................................................................... 41 3.8. Democracy.................................................................................................................... 42 3.9. Self-determination ....................................................................................................... 44 3.10. Secession .................................................................................................................. 45 5 4. Case Study Ethiopia .............................................................................................................. 47 4.1. Country Profile ............................................................................................................. 47 4.1.1. Ethnic Diversity and the Ethiopian State .............................................................. 49 4.1.2. Nationalism in Ethiopia ........................................................................................ 51 4.2. Historical Analysis ......................................................................................................... 52 4.2.1. Ethnicity and Ethnic Identity in Ethiopian Politics and History ............................ 52 4.2.2. Nation and State Building in Ethiopia ................................................................... 55 4.2.3. The Assimilation policy ......................................................................................... 56 4.2.3.1. The Politics of Language ............................................................................... 57 4.2.3.2. The Use and Abuse of History ...................................................................... 57 4.2.3.3. Centripetal versus Centrifugal Forces .......................................................... 59 4.2.4. The Secessionist Policy ......................................................................................... 60 4.2.4.1. Secessionist Movement in Eritrea ................................................................ 60 4.2.4.2. The Parallel Development in Ethiopia and Eritrea ....................................... 62 4.2.4.3. Oromo Nationalism ...................................................................................... 63 4.2.5. The ‘Accommodationist’ Option: Tigray, 1991 onwards ...................................... 66 4.2.6. Multi-ethnic Federalism in Ethiopia ..................................................................... 67 4.2.7. The Role of Religion and the Multi-ethnic System ............................................... 70 4.2.8. The Notion of Ethnic Majority and Minority in Ethiopia ...................................... 71 4.2.9. Multi-ethnic federalism in a Comparative Perspective ........................................ 74 4.3. Legal Background ......................................................................................................... 77 4.3.1. The Constitution of Ethiopia................................................................................. 77 4.3.2. The Secession Clause in the Constitution ............................................................. 78 4.3.2.1. The Transition Charter and the Secession Clause ........................................ 78 4.3.2.2. The 1995 Constitution and the Secession Clause ......................................... 80 4.3.2.3. The House of Federation .............................................................................. 83 4.3.2.4. State-Federal Relations ................................................................................ 84 4.3.3. Human Rights and the Constitution ..................................................................... 85 4.3.3.1. Ethiopia and the UN Human Rights Committees ......................................... 87 4.3.3.2. Humanitarian Aid and International Actors ................................................. 88 4.4. Ethiopia’s Election 2010 ............................................................................................... 89 5. Ethiopia in a Region of Balance and Power .......................................................................... 97 6 6. Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 101 Sources ....................................................................................................................................... 105 Literature ................................................................................................................................ 105 Internet Sources ..................................................................................................................... 113 Graphics ................................................................................................................................. 116 7 Preface Ethiopia – with 80 million inhabitants second in the size of its population after Nigeria on the African continent – is one of the oldest states of Sub-Saharan Africa. Why did I choose this topic? My interest for the country, its culture, and its peoples arose some thousand kilometres away from Vienna, and even more from Ethiopia, when I spent a year in Rovaniemi – Lapland – Finland where I was living together with an Ethiopian girl. In total there where about fifteen Ethiopians living and studying close to the polar circle and I was in the middle of their little multi-ethnic Ethiopian community. Since these 15 persons were representing at least three or four different ethic affiliations, I became even more interested in how the State of Ethiopia arose and how its political system has persisted until today. Ethiopia is home to more than 80 nations, each of them with its own language and culture, different in size and appearance as well as social and economic status. Its constitution is unique in Africa and quite special in the world, giving to each of these nations the right to self-determination up to succession. As a matter of fact, I became even more interested in the country and its