Part three of five
Aklog Birara, PhD
Part two of this series showed the critical relationship between Ethiopia’s right to use its river resources including the Abay River on the one hand and the vital role of inclusive, fair, just, participatory and democratic governance to sustain ownership on the other. At the end of the day, the most important criteria concerning the GERD is whether or not the Ethiopian people gain from its exploitation. In the battle to control and use the Nile River and its tributaries for growth and development, the country that places a high premium on good, just, equitable, inclusive and pluralist governance would have a better chance of strengthening sustainability than an ethnically and politically conflict-ridden, repressive and dictatorial one. I suggest that this gap in inclusive, participatory, pluralist and democratic governance makes Ethiopia’s claim vulnerable to internal and external threats. Egypt and other adversaries have and will continue to exploit vulnerabilities in governance to advance their interests. Read More
