Ethiopia-Eritrea: There are no Good Wars

Wars are so much about illusions as they are about realities. The reality now is there is hope for peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea. There are still heated emotions and glowing suspicions. Nevertheless, the two sides are now closer to peace than they have ever been in the past.

Not long ago, the two neighbors faced each other in one of the most lethal wars ever waged in recent history. There was a massive clash of interests and that war was inevitable even without the Badme question. The conflict has seriously hampered economic growth and has made any form of regional cooperation meaningless.

Now a political solution appears to be in the making not because Ethiopia's Meles Zenawi and Eritrea's Isayas Afewerki have suddenly become borne-again statesmen, but because there are political benefits to achieve. The biggest challenge has been for each side to find an honorable way out of the crisis while their impoverished populations grow more and more desperate and impatient with the political impasse.

Prime Minister Meles's initial rejection of the Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Commission's ruling had not impressed his partners and friends in the West. Violation of an international agreement and practice is unacceptable. Despite this setback, Meles's key role in the newly formed Africa Commission and British Prime Minister Tony Blair's trust in Meles as a promising Ethiopian and African leader have had a very positive impact on his political convictions.

This has helped Meles's already undisputed authority at home, and his political fortune is unlikely to be undermined if he gives up Badme. But it is an election year in Ethiopia, and contestants are already accusing him of selling out to Eritrea and of sacrificing tens of thousands of young soldiers in vain. Meles has to defend his decision to go to war as a legitimate response to what he saw as a 'serious military challenge posed by Eritrea against sovereign Ethiopia.'

On the other hand, with Badme under Eritrea's control and the border demarcated, President Isayas will have an easier task convincing his people that the war was justified. Indeed, Isayas and his compatriots will have to celebrate the demarcation as a national victory. It will be the last, most significant event in their long struggle to end Ethiopia's domination. No wonder, Isayas sees the border demarcation as a central feature of his legacy.

Encouraged by the Border Commission's favorable decision, Isayas has held a tough stance on Ethiopia, a position that has the support of the Eritrean public. Once a settlement is achieved, however, there will be many questions asked centering on the way the government handled the crisis, why political participation has been ruled out, and whether the authorities will ever allow democratization.

There are risks and opportunities ahead for both camps. What is most at stake is the credibility of Isayas and Meles as former revolutionary comrades, who once stood together for the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Careful studies are essential in order to protect mutual interests and avoid diplomatic and legal pitfalls. But the delay in reaching a settlement is hurting the two countries and is unwarranted. For the common people in Ethiopia and Eritrea there can be no good wars or bad peace. They ought to be given chance to find out and learn how to be good neighbors through free exchange of cultures, goods and ideas.

If Isayas and Meles are waiting for a perfect solution to be worked out for them by the US or Europe, they are ill advised. They should keep motives and pride aside and resolve the issues themselves. They have the opportunity to rise up as peacemaking statesmen in a sick and sad continent that is moving backwards because of debilitating wars and conflicts.