Tesfaye Mekonen | The University of Queensland, Australia (original) (raw)

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Papers by Tesfaye Mekonen

Research paper thumbnail of Territorial Autonomy as a Constitutional Mechanism to Address Diversity-Driven Conflicts

DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Nov 30, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of Territorial Autonomy as a Constitutional Mechanism to Address Diversity-Driven Conflicts: An Ethiopian Case Study

Ethiopia is the oldest independent, and the second most populous, country in Africa. It is the ho... more Ethiopia is the oldest independent, and the second most populous, country in Africa. It is the home of over eighty ethnolinguistic communities, also known as 'nations, nationalities and peoples'. None of them represents 50 percent of the total population. The constitution adopted following the regime change in 1991 has introduced a federal state structure that bestows territorial autonomy, including the unconditional right to secession, to all the ethnolinguistic communities equally and irrespective of their demographic size and settlement pattern. The framers and advocates of the constitution consider this model of territorial autonomy as an approach to deal with diversity and respond to identity-related questions. Others contend that the constitution is an instrument for the ethnicization of administrative provinces that heightens and proliferates intercommunal conflicts in the country, rather than resolving the longstanding political turmoil associated with identity-related questions. I analyze the historical discourse that led to the formation of the federation, the interplay between the central/federal government and sub-state governments, the protection of diffused minorities, the issue of boundary demarcation between sub-states, and the status and role of the sub-states` security apparatuses. Though much was token about its successes, I argue that the constitution is defective in its design, and if it has not aggravated the underlying causes of persistent political crisis across the country it has certainly not addressed them. After about three decades of the inauguration of the federation, the unsettled identity-related questions that have manifested in outspread interethnic clashes and tension between sub-states due to land claims and/or identity questions prove the deficiency of the constitutional mechanism, notably the multi-level territorial autonomy model, to resolve such protracted and complex issues which have unprecedentedly riddled the country. Thus, reconsideration of the constitution through a stable and comprehensive transitional justice process is necessary to address outstanding issues and re-legitimize and consolidate the Ethiopian polity.

Research paper thumbnail of Bargaining Power of Developing Countries in Trade Negotiations

The bargaining power of a country plays an influential and impactful role in trade negotiation. T... more The bargaining power of a country plays an influential and impactful role in trade negotiation. The final trade agreement is the result of the background negotiation among the contracting countries in a bilateral, regional or a multilateral arrangement. This paper has attempted to explore main strategies often exercised by the countries in trade negotiation and identifying factors that, in one way or the other, determine the bargaining power, particularly, of the developing countries. The data gathered from secondary sources are qualitatively analyzed. As strategies, the principle of reciprocity (negotiation based on a 'give and a take' policy) and prior preparation (conducting the negotiation process with full prior information, research finding and analysis), have been identified. Furthermore, the basic factors for building or relinquishing bargaining power particularly from the developing country's perspective have been discerned as market, commercial intelligence, capacity to control others and resource. As trade cooperation is becoming an unavoidable and inescapable phenomenon in the entire world, developing countries are advised to make themselves ready to play well the trade negotiation game by improving their bargaining power and byexploiting maximum possible out of that. There is no trade deal that is wholesale good or bad; it rather depends on how the country negotiates.

Research paper thumbnail of Territorial Autonomy as a Constitutional Mechanism to Address Diversity-Driven Conflicts

DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Nov 30, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of Territorial Autonomy as a Constitutional Mechanism to Address Diversity-Driven Conflicts: An Ethiopian Case Study

Ethiopia is the oldest independent, and the second most populous, country in Africa. It is the ho... more Ethiopia is the oldest independent, and the second most populous, country in Africa. It is the home of over eighty ethnolinguistic communities, also known as 'nations, nationalities and peoples'. None of them represents 50 percent of the total population. The constitution adopted following the regime change in 1991 has introduced a federal state structure that bestows territorial autonomy, including the unconditional right to secession, to all the ethnolinguistic communities equally and irrespective of their demographic size and settlement pattern. The framers and advocates of the constitution consider this model of territorial autonomy as an approach to deal with diversity and respond to identity-related questions. Others contend that the constitution is an instrument for the ethnicization of administrative provinces that heightens and proliferates intercommunal conflicts in the country, rather than resolving the longstanding political turmoil associated with identity-related questions. I analyze the historical discourse that led to the formation of the federation, the interplay between the central/federal government and sub-state governments, the protection of diffused minorities, the issue of boundary demarcation between sub-states, and the status and role of the sub-states` security apparatuses. Though much was token about its successes, I argue that the constitution is defective in its design, and if it has not aggravated the underlying causes of persistent political crisis across the country it has certainly not addressed them. After about three decades of the inauguration of the federation, the unsettled identity-related questions that have manifested in outspread interethnic clashes and tension between sub-states due to land claims and/or identity questions prove the deficiency of the constitutional mechanism, notably the multi-level territorial autonomy model, to resolve such protracted and complex issues which have unprecedentedly riddled the country. Thus, reconsideration of the constitution through a stable and comprehensive transitional justice process is necessary to address outstanding issues and re-legitimize and consolidate the Ethiopian polity.

Research paper thumbnail of Bargaining Power of Developing Countries in Trade Negotiations

The bargaining power of a country plays an influential and impactful role in trade negotiation. T... more The bargaining power of a country plays an influential and impactful role in trade negotiation. The final trade agreement is the result of the background negotiation among the contracting countries in a bilateral, regional or a multilateral arrangement. This paper has attempted to explore main strategies often exercised by the countries in trade negotiation and identifying factors that, in one way or the other, determine the bargaining power, particularly, of the developing countries. The data gathered from secondary sources are qualitatively analyzed. As strategies, the principle of reciprocity (negotiation based on a 'give and a take' policy) and prior preparation (conducting the negotiation process with full prior information, research finding and analysis), have been identified. Furthermore, the basic factors for building or relinquishing bargaining power particularly from the developing country's perspective have been discerned as market, commercial intelligence, capacity to control others and resource. As trade cooperation is becoming an unavoidable and inescapable phenomenon in the entire world, developing countries are advised to make themselves ready to play well the trade negotiation game by improving their bargaining power and byexploiting maximum possible out of that. There is no trade deal that is wholesale good or bad; it rather depends on how the country negotiates.