Baptism by Fire: The World Bank Threat
The WB's threat to cut aid to Ethiopia bodes badly for the people of Ethiopia. An ancient Ethiopian proverb goes "when two elephants fight, the only one that dies is the grass beneath them." Fellas, it's time to head back to the bargaining table. How will the EPRDF react to this threat? It will largely depend on whether the Bush administration will join the WB bandwagon. The bank, headed by neocon Paul Wolfowitz , has made a ballsy move and its November 16 threat should worry the heck out of the EPRDF. However, despite the Bush administration's apparent intolerance of governments that wield the gun on their citizens (even when they serve United States interests), it is highly probable US policy will remain pro-EPRDF as long as al-Zarqawi continues to murder people in Baghdad and elsewhere. Meles has been in the forefront in the war against terror—not just to serve US interests in the region but because he himself has hunted down jihadist elements way before 9-11. ...