{"id":5552,"date":"2016-04-01T11:28:34","date_gmt":"2016-04-01T05:58:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5552"},"modified":"2016-04-01T11:28:34","modified_gmt":"2016-04-01T05:58:34","slug":"what-other-world-leaders-can-learn-from-nobel-peace-prize-winner-abiy-ahmed-ali","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=5552","title":{"rendered":"What Other World Leaders Can Learn from Nobel Peace Prize Winner Abiy Ahmed Ali"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

T<\/span><\/p><\/div>

he term \u201cpopulist leader\u201d has become something of an alarm bell for <\/span>liberals<\/span><\/a> across the world, and it\u2019s no surprise. Consider the various heads of state who have landed the title, and it reads like a laundry list of bogeymen of the global left\/liberal crowd: Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Jair Bolsonaro, and our very own <\/span>Narendra Modi<\/span><\/a>. Their brand of leadership is one defined by muscular nationalism and a strongman personality, a self-serving approach that could alienate potential allies, but still seems to be spreading itself across the world. This year\u2019s Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, another so-called populist leader. But after a little over a year in power, Abiy has proved that there\u2019s a crucial difference between him and other populists \u2013 he\u2019s also <\/span>popular<\/span><\/i>.<\/span>\n\nAbiy took up Ethiopia\u2019s highest office on April 2 last year, after the unexpected resignation of his predecessor Hailemariam Desalegn. Just a year-and-a-half later, he is being recognised by the Nobel Committee for \u201chis efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the <\/span>border conflict<\/span><\/a> with neighbouring Eritrea.\u201d The \u201cdecisive initiative\u201d that the Nobel Committee is referring to is his decision to give up disputed border territory to Eritrea, in the process bringing an end to two decades of brinkmanship and ushering in peace after twenty years. When he entered office, the thought of the Ethiopian and Eritrean heads of states shaking hands and smiling for a photograph was a far-fetched fantasy, but Abiy and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki made that a reality last year.<\/span>\n\nIn a world, where leaders are insistent on building walls and putting states under lockdown, Abiy\u2019s efforts stand out. Unlike other populists, he doesn\u2019t pander to majoritarian tendencies within his borders, despite himself belonging to Ethiopia\u2019s single-largest ethnic community, the Oromo. With an outlook toward building regional ties, Abiy has not only reopened the Ethiopian-Eritrean land border after 20 years, but also participated in brokering a political armistice in neighbouring Sudan after the collapse of Omar al-Bashir\u2019s <\/span>dictatorship<\/span><\/a>. After his part in restoring peace to the turbulent region, Abiy\u2019s reputation for statesmanship saw a spike.<\/span>\n\nWith his popularity soaring only months after taking office, by September 2018 he had managed to imprint his belief in freedom of expression on how the country\u2019s ruling coalition, Ethiopian People\u2019s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), conducted affairs. Political dissidents, including the leader of the opposition movement Ginbot 7, returned to Ethiopia after overseas exile. Ginbot 7\u2019s leader, Berhanu Nega, made his return after fleeing Ethiopia in 2005. Diversity of political opinion is being celebrated, as reported by <\/span>The Guardian<\/span><\/i>, which <\/span>wrote<\/span><\/a>, \u201cResidents who once feared speaking publicly about politics now talk of little else. Flags and symbols long banned by the EPRDF blossom across the city.\u201d Making sure his commitment to diversity was intersectional, Abiy, on October 16, also took the move of appointing women to half the ministerial posts in his government.<\/span>\n\n

Receiving the prestigious award will go some way toward boosting Abiy\u2019s international profile, which in turn should empower him to carry out further reforms.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\nAs the leader of the African continent\u2019s second-most populous nation, Abiy is in a position to bring positive change to a part of the world often defined by strife. And the signs, at least in the short period that he has been in the international spotlight, point to a leader who champions progressivism and international cooperation. In a time of movements like <\/span>Brexit<\/span><\/a> in UK and the rise of the right-wing the world over, Abiy\u2019s approach is a breath of fresh air. This year, that was enough for the Nobel Committee. In its announcement, the committee said, \u201cNo doubt some people will think this year\u2019s prize is being awarded too early. The Norwegian Nobel Committee believes it is now that Abiy Ahmed\u2019s efforts deserve recognition and need encouragement.\u201d Sometimes you have to strike while the iron is hot.<\/span>\n\nWhen it comes to the urgency of recognising Abiy\u2019s achievements, there is truth to the committee\u2019s justification. Receiving the prestigious award will go some way toward boosting his international profile, which in turn should empower him to carry out further reforms. Some have called the excitement he inspires in the Ethiopian citizenry \u201cAbiymania\u201d, and long may it prosper.<\/span>\n\nThis year, Abiy Ahmed Ali proved that peace, <\/span>harmony<\/span><\/a>, and populism can co-exist, despite evidence to the contrary. The Nobel Peace Prize is just a formal recognition of the fact.<\/span>\n\n\u00a0\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a world, where leaders are insistent on building walls and putting states under lockdown, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali’s efforts stand out. He decided to give up disputed border territory to Eritrea, bringing an end to two decades of brinkmanship and ushering in peace after 20 years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":5553,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[9441,9442,9443,9444],"class_list":["post-5552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-abiy-ahmed-ali","tag-abiymania","tag-ethopia","tag-nobel-peace-prize"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Other World Leaders Can Learn from Nobel Peace Prize Winner Abiy Ahmed Ali<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In a world, where leaders are insistent on building walls and putting states under lockdown, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali's efforts stand out. 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