FORTUNE+ VIDEO SPONSORED CONTENTS ADVERTORIALS FORTUNE AUDIO Fortune Careers New TRADE AFRICA New

Fortune Logo
The result has been a general sense of anxiety by the public over the fate of the country. Ethiopia is on the knife’s-edge!

A developing country like Ethiopia inevitably has many challenges. But nothing poses the greatest risk like the breakdown of order and the rule of law. And not by the law. The monopoly on legitimate violence belongs to the state, but the moment this rule stops to apply, the country begins a steady decline into an abyss from where coming back out in one piece will be hard.


The past two years have seen internal displacements, losses of human lives and the destruction of property, paralleling the promise of democratic transition that has also been taking place on the side. On multiple occasions, regional governments have been unable to contain major threats within their administrative demarcations without the help of the federal army.


The result has been a general sense of anxiety by the public over the fate of the country. Ethiopia is on the knife’s-edge!


Income inequality, political partisanship and poverty are bad and may even be contributing factors to lack of law and order. But the breakdown of the rule of law, where the rights of citizens to move and make a living is curtailed, poses the ultimate existential threat to a state. Citizens, more than a better education system, better standard of living and democratic rights, crave security. A state that cannot provide this is historically doomed to civil war or failure.


PUBLISHED ON Jan 05,2020 [ VOL 20 , NO 1028]

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 0 / 5. Vote count: 0

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.



Related Posts

[ssba-buttons]

Put your comments here

N.B: A submit button will appear once you fill out all the required fields.

Editors' Pick

Exclusive Interviews

State Enterprises from Oracles to Apprentices

Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW

Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...

Agenda

Rising Costs, Inflation Threaten Insurance Industry

Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO

Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...

Agenda

BREWING DISCONTENT

Jul 28 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW

Unhabitual, perhaps too many, Samuel Gebreyohannes, 38, used to occasionally enjoy a couple of beers at breakfast. However, he recently swit...

Fortune News

Electric Vehicle Push Leaves Investors in the Lurch

Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO

Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...

Commentaries

Ditching Carbon Pricing Reckless Bet with the Planet

In 2009, US President Barack Obama appointed Harvard Law School Professor Cass Sunste...

Africa's Debt Is an Opportunity

Almost every debate about African public finance centres on “Africa's debt burden” as its primary topic. The numbers are stark: the medi...

Fineline

Leaders of the National . . .

Leaders of the National Election Board are in a charm offensive mood, of a sort. Last week, they organised a rare tour for members of the me...

When the country’s most. . .

When the country's most senior diplomats and envoys return back to their posts after two-week debriefings, they leave behind a point or two...

Editorial

Soaring Taxes Fail to Plug Holes as Audit Reveals Enduring Waste

Jun 28 , 2025

Meseret Damtie, the assertive auditor general, has never been shy about naming names...

Expanding Federal Budget Tests Limits of Fiscal Discipline

Jun 21 , 2025

A well-worn adage says, “Budget is not destiny, but it is direction.” Examining t...

Desire to March to the Sea Should Spill Reason on the Way

Jun 14 , 2025

Yet again, the Horn of Africa is bracing for trouble. A region already frayed by wars...

Where the Roof Overhead Comes with a Ceiling on Hope

Jun 7 , 2025

Few promises shine brighter in Addis Abeba than the pledge of a roof for every family...

Gallery

Parliament Approves New Cabinet Members

Oct 6 , 2021

Parliament Approves New Cabinet, Incorporates Opposition Leaders Lawmakers have approved today the nominations of 22 ministers, including three opposition leaders. Two MPs have voted against, while 12 abstained...

2020 in Posterity

Jan 5 , 2021

TIGRAY VOTES DESPITE "NULL & VOID" THREAT

Sep 9 , 2020

IN-PICTURE: LAUREATE'S RECEPTION  

Dec 14 , 2019

PM Abiy Ahmed (PhD) at a Gala Dinner Called for the Awarding of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize

May 6 , 2019

Faces, Voices of Addis Abeba

Apr 26 , 2019

Sunday With Eden

Real Respect Shows Up First

A couple of weeks ago, I found myself at a social gathering where strangers and old acquaintances mix in a haze of small talk and light laug...

Absence of Agile Discipline

In Ethiopia, across both public and private sectors, a quiet saboteur undermines productivity: the meeting. Too often, gatherings stretch en...

Life Matters

The Quiet Roar Beneath the Calm

There is often a sense of awe when encountering someone who appears to have everything under control. Impeccably dressed, composed, and seem...

The Weight of the World

The film Straw did not just break a heart, it reached into something deeper, unsettling a primal fear that resides in every parent. As a mot...