Ethiopia and Eritrea: Insights into the Peace Nexus is a timely book that comprises contributions from seven scholars of Ethiopian, Eritrean and other nationalities with intimate knowledge of the two nations and the unfolding peace process.

Ethiopia and Eritrea share a colorful past, replete with contested and polarized interpretations and perspectives. Observers and pundits often amplify, as is demonstrated in historical accounts and policy orientations, politically sensitized viewpoints readily tailored to reflect leading sentiments of the time. Self-reflection, critical appraisal and sober assessment of developments have been visibly missing, or intentionally misconstrued, in the overall discourse analysis.

In the context of the ongoing rapprochement between the two countries, it remains imperative to critically examine previous imperfections, more so with the view to assure the very resilience of the peace process. Now it has become evident that Ethiopia and Eritrea can’t afford to squander this opportunity, and doing so comes at even higher cost for both countries and the immediate region.

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Editor’s Note

Foreword by Bahru Zewde

1. Thorny Fault Lines In The Ethiopia-Eritrea Relationship: The Way Forward. by Belete Belachew Yihun

Introduction

2. Good Prospects For Peace Between Eritrea and Ethiopia. By Tekeste Negash

3. Prospects For Maintaining The New Eritrea-Ethiopia Peace: Lessons From The Past. by Senai W. Andemariam

4. The Ethiopia-Eritrea Relationship:Reflections On Pending Legal Disputes. by Wondemagegn Tadesse

5. Examining The Role Of State And Non-State Actors For Sustainable Peace Between Ethiopia And Eritrea. by Wegahta K. Sereke And Daniel R. Mekonnen

6. Eritrea-Ethiopia Rapprochement and its impact on Foreign Policy. by Patrick Gilkes

7. Making Sense of the “Deal”. by Medhane Tadesse

Milestones: Ethiopia-Eritrea Relations in the Post-1991 Period

Contributors

Appendices

A. Agreement of Friendship and co-operation between the Transitional Government of Ethiopia and the Government of the State of Eritrea

B. Agreement Between The Government of the State of Eritrea and theTransitional Government of Ethiopia on the Establishment of the Joint High Ministerial Commission

C. Algiers Agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea

D. Joint Declaration of Peace and Friendship between Eritrea and Ethiopia

E. Agreement on Peace, Friendship and Comprehensive Cooperation between the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the State of Eritrea

Index

Written by scholars from both sides of the border, this excellent volume brings a much-needed level of historical depth and academic analysis to the understanding of a relationship that has too often been clouded by polemic and political point-scoring. It is essential reading for anyone seeking to clarify the sources of conflict and hopes of peace, both between Ethiopia and Eritrea and in the Horn of Africa as a whole.

—Christopher Clapham, Ph.D., author of The Horn of Africa: State Formation and Decay. (Oxford University Press, 2017).

Writing on relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia has never been easy and even more difficult has been covering the period between 1991 and 2018, which for both was emotion laden. Thus, even academics from both countries found it unavoidable to resort to polemics. Nor has it been easy for outsiders to maintain some level of objectivity and offer dispassionate analysis. Both demanded loyalty and never gave space for seeking the truth. That is why this book is an excellent contribution to the effort that needs to be made to help both to draw lessons from the mistakes made between 1991 and 2018.This is so critical for ensuring the rapprochement which currently is limping along, would succeed.

—Tekeda Alemu, Former Ethiopian Ambassador for United Nations in New York

The Eritrea-Ethiopia peace rapprochement put in motion by the coming to power of Dr. Abiy Ahmed has drawn renewed attention to this long-lasting, simmering conflict. Still, twenty years since armed hostilities ended, there are much about the reasons going to war, its settlement, and the failure to implement the original peace agreement, which warrant further research. This edited volume is thus a welcome contribution to shed light upon these issues. Written by Eritrean and Ethiopian experts, it offers novel insights into, and lessons learned from, the two decades of “no war-no peace” impasse, to bring to bear on how the current peace rapprochement ought to be managed. The book is essential reading to an international audience in search of understanding the political relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia; and it ought to inspire politicians and policy makers from the two countries to take the right steps forward to consolidate the peace process.

—Kjetil Tronvoll, Ph.D., Co-editor of Brothers at War: Making Sense of the Eritrean-Ethiopian War. (Ohio University Press, 2001).

This is a rich, diverse, and comprehensive volume that unpacks the multiple origins of the landmark Eritrea-Ethiopia rapprochement of Summer 2018, as well as the dynamics that will continue to inform it. Belete Belachew Yihun has done good work to bring together experts of this caliber and channel their analytic energy towards exploring the promise and challenges of the new era of peace. The book will be a standard reference on the topic of Eritrea-Ethiopia relations, and deserves wide attention from those interested in politics and governance in the Horn of Africa region as well as African international relations more broadly.

—Michael Woldemariam, Ph.D., is author of Insurgent Fragmentation in the Horn of Africa: Rebellion and Its Discontents. (Cambridge University Press, 2018).

Belete Belachew Yihun, Ph.D., specializes in Ethiopia’s foreign policy and international relations, with an emphasis on the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, and the African continent at large. The author of several articles and two books, including Black Ethiopia: A Glimpse into African Diplomacy, 1956-1991 (TSEHAI Publishers, 2014), he currently serves as senior researcher at the Center for Dialogue, Research and Cooperation, an Ethiopia-based think tank dealing with the Horn of Africa and the wider region.