And now on to climate change for Meles Zenawi

There is no end to Meles Zenawi's inventiveness. He relishes bullying and blackmailing. He will kill to position himself as a spokesperson for global issues and craves to be taken seriously as a statesman. Well, he has been failing in both and nobody seems to take notice. Remember 'Making Poverty History' summits? Agriculture-led economy? The 'developmental state' – a jargon he picked up from Joseph Stiglitz? Bio-fuel? Land-lease and commercial farms? HIV/AIDS? Terrorism? Secret Rendition? Piracy? Genetically modified food? Somalia? Corruption? Privatisation? Democracy (he as the new democrat refusing to abide by election results and already 18 years in power)? Peace-keeping? Meles is always first in line to send troops to conflict zones (when the nation he rules is virtually under siege). The untold story is that peace-keeping is a lucrative business and not easy to account for. Over the past several years Meles has delivered on average 2,000 Ethiopian soldiers at a cost of about US$1,200 per head per month. Go figure.

Meles seems to have his hands in every international political jar. But what has been the outcome of all this hyperactivity, other than smooth talk? Lots of hype and not enough substance. In other words, those activities were initiated at breakneck-speed but rarely sustained. And now climate change has provided him yet another venue to showcase his oratorical skills. Listen to what he said to Reuters:

'We will use our numbers to de-legitimise any agreement that is not consistent with our minimal position… If needs be we are prepared to walk out of any negotiations that threaten to be another rape of our continent… Africa's interest and position will not be muffled as has usually been the case… Africa will field a single negotiating team empowered to negotiate on behalf of all member states of the African Union.' ('Single negotiating team' fits his demeanour because he cannot stand a rival or to share the spotlight with strong personalities). Pretty tough talk? Well, we dare you to walk out of those negotiations, Spokesperson Meles. You will be back begging on all fours.

The Economist recently praised Meles for his 'elephantine memory'. Indeed, that is the case. However, the magazine also failed to add that this trait is not exclusive to Meles and is what is causing Ethiopians in general from progressing in their politics. But one thing is certain: Meles's 'memory' skills are such that he has recognised that Western democracies are plagued by impatience and a short attention span, as well as being enthralled by 'positive news' (never mind that it could be a lie so long as it is cost-efficient and in Africa) and by the muscular guy who trounces his 'enemies', never mind how unjustly. What is even more bizarre is that African nations trust Meles more than the people who know him best. As we say in Ethiopia, 'The hyena travels to where he is unknown and requests a hide for bedding.'

BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAMBAZUKA NEWS

* This article was originally published by Ethiopian Recycler.
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