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Ethiopia Diplomacy and State Building in Imperial Ethiopia
As one of only two African states that have never been
permanently colonized (the other is Liberia), Ethiopia has a
long diplomatic tradition. Tewodros II, who reigned in the
mid-nineteenth century, was the first modern Ethiopian
leader to try to develop a foreign policy that transcended
the Horn region (see
The Making of Modern Ethiopia, ch. 1).
His successor, Yohannis IV, followed a less dynamic course
and was greatly troubled by European expansionism in general
and penetration by Italy in particular. Menelik II, who
succeeded Yohannis in 1889, failed to find a peaceful
solution to Italy's encroachments. He had greater success,
however, in the military sphere, defeating the Italian army
at Adwa in 1896.
Menelik died in 1913, and it was not until 1930 that
another strong emperor, Haile Selassie I, assumed the
throne. Haile Selassie quickly demonstrated that he was
committed to the creation of a strong, modern, bureaucratic
empire that would command unquestioned international
respect. As early as 1923, while serving as regent, he
negotiated Ethiopia's admission into the League of Nations.
The Italian occupation of Ethiopia between 1936 and 1941
briefly halted his efforts to establish Ethiopia's position
in the world community (see
Italian Rule and World War II,
ch. 1). However, when he reassumed the throne in 1941, he
renewed his efforts to bolster Ethiopia's international
standing.
After World War II, Haile Selassie achieved considerable
international success primarily because of his active
participation in the UN, his alignment with the West, and
his vocal support for the African independence movement. As
a UN member, Ethiopia committed troops to the peacekeeping
mission in Korea from 1950 to 1953 and to the Congo
(present-day Zaire) in 1960. Moreover, Ethiopia's military
and diplomatic relationship with the United States provided
it with a superpower ally (see
United States, ch. 5).
Finally, Haile Selassie took the lead in pressing for a
resolution establishing the territorial integrity of the
independent states of Africa. Over the years, he developed a
reputation as a sage voice of moderation on a continent
filled with militant nationalists. It was in this capacity
that he offered to host the headquarters of the OAU upon its
founding in the early 1960s, once again demonstrating his
diplomatic acumen.
Data as of 1991
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