The policy makers at the US State Department (SD) continue to entertain the world with their routine comical statements. I am saying "Comical" not because of what they wrote was funny, amusing or entertaining, but because the statements they sometimes post in their websites and other mediums are puzzling, down right demeaning to people of color, racist and insulting to the intelligence of the human race. Their arrogance and "My way or the Highway" mentality is absurd and dangerous to say the least.
The latest SD political salvo was hurled at none other than the peace loving people of the State of Eritrea in what the SD calls "Travel Warnings" in its Eritrea series! The pungently pervasive statement they put out was meant to shake the steel nerve of the Eritrean people and to shatter their iron will of defending Eritrea with a veiled threat to intimidate them.
So, the US Embassy in Asmara wants the world to know that there were a mere 1,500 Washington DC participants in what was part of a World-wide demonstrations of Eritrean nationals against US who was the sole designer of the ill conceived "UN" Resolution 1907 passed against Eritrea. The question to ponder is, if they can falsify about the number of the demonstrators that had happened in front of the SD, one wonders what kind of untrue information they must be spewing out for "Incidents" real or imagined in a far away lands like Eritrea! Apparently, these people appear to have neither the right etiquette that would govern their behavior nor they do posses any moral consciousness to be governed by. Doing everything and anything to suite their purpose is a fair game if they feel, they can get away with it.
In a related matter, and which is not a new thing to those of us who have been following the lopsided US policy against Eritrea, we are told by the know-it-all self serving people at the SD that the Eritrean people can be dangerous when they get angry. Oh really? At least, they didn't say that we are perpetually dangerous people, but, only, when we are angry! And what is it that we have done to alarm the SD officials of our affinity to potentially dangerous activity? Folks, I kid you not; it is there in their website in black and white. They said after the passing of the 1907 UN resolution against Eritrea, the Eritreans are angry at the US; and thus all US citizens must be cautious of mingling with those wild Eritreans let alone to consider travelling to their country.
Our World-wide demonstration of February 22, 2010 was aimed solely at demanding the US and the inept UNSC, which has long been reduced to an instrument of US global designs of intimidation and terrorizing the world especially small countries like Eritrea, to reverse and repeal UN Resolutions 1907 against Eritrea. It was never meant in any way, shape or form to harm any people of any nation including those of the United States. Just to remind some of the ego centric personnel at the SD, the overwhelming majority of the Washington DC and San Francisco demonstration participants were Eritrean-Americans; and it is silly to even entertain the idea of us contemplating some harm to our fellow citizens! It simply is mind boggling for diplomatic mission type people at the SD to concoct of such ugly designs. Indeed, our "Peaceful Demonstration Permits" were granted to us under strict guidelines from the appropriate authorities. Suffice is to say, in spite of the unwarranted alarmist "Warning" the SD message was supposed to convey, the Eritrean people are one of the most peaceful people in the world. They are even so peaceful that they are most magnanimous towards people and governments that have done them most harm. Our unreserved desire to have an excellent relationship with the US and Ethiopia, in spite of what both of them have done to us as a people and country, may be cited as one case in point! Another case is the hundreds of foreign tourists and casual visitors that continue to testify how the Eritreans were very hospitable people. I have yet to read or hear where foreigners have been mistreated or abused in Eritrea just because they were foreigners. On the other hand, it is not unusual to see some foreigners who go to Eritrea with ulterior motives short of visiting and enjoying what this beautiful country and people have to offer.
Another self defeating story the SD "Travel Warning" authors found worth talking about is the totally useless and biased UNMEE that was booted out from Eritrea after abusing its authority and outlasted its welcome stay in Eritrea long after the EEBC decision was handed out. If I were the SD, I would be embarrassed to even talk about the unprincipled stand it had taken vis-à-vis the Eritrea Ethiopia border dispute, which is still held hostage by the SD unwillingness to call a spade a spade and fulfill its moral responsibility of forcing Ethiopia to vacate Eritrean territories and implement the border ruling. The SD could have played a vital role by fulfilling its commitment of being a "Guarantor" to the Weyane instigated dispute instead of shedding crocodile tears by claiming that troops from both sides amassing in certain border areas of Eritrea!
As an Eritrean-American, it pains me to see our tax money of being spent in yet another wasteful exercise in futility. It is time (way past time) for the US to correct its misguided policy towards the Horn of Africa in general and towards Eritrea in particular. The Eritrean people have suffered for over 60 years under the ill conceived and misguided foreign policy of the United States. By now, it should have been clear to the US policy makers that no nation or people will bow down to the unjust and unfair bullying by the big boys. It has never happened in history and it probably won't happen in the future for the spirit of the human race is indomitable and Eritreans are no exception.
As some of our most recent successful World-wide demonstrations placards and banners made it abundantly clear, we are for engagement and partnership. However we never were and shall never opt for a lopsided "Cooperation" with any country or organization, which does not believe in a relationship based on equal footing. We are for a partnership of mutual benefit based on clear and unambiguous relationship that respects in practice and sprit all regionally and internationally agreed upon covenants and for which we are a signatory.
We are sick and tired of the US and other western powers of trying to connect us with any and every "Terrorist" organization of the day when they know darn well that Eritrea was fighting terrorism within its borders and beyond before it was fashionable to talk about it. Eritrea does this, not to appease anybody or any government, but it believes it is the right thing to do from its own experience as being a victim of terrorists herself since its inception as an independent nation.
Berhane Alazar
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