Haimanot B. Atinkut

1 week ago | martinplaut.com | Haimanot B. Atinkut |Martin Plaut

Fano was never built to govern. But it has forced the government to face a deeper truth: a state that does not protect cannot command loyalty. In a fractured federation, resistance becomes its own kind of institution. When the state abandons its people, the people respond—first with prayers, then with poetry, and eventually, with weapons. By Haimanot B. Atinkut, Freelance ContributorThe origins of Fano are not found in declarations or official commands.

2 weeks ago | martinplaut.com | Haimanot B. Atinkut |Martin Plaut

From emperors to generals to ethnic populists, Ethiopia rotates rulers—but not the rules. And for 80 years, the U.S. has supported them all. By Haimanot B. Atinkut, Freelance ContributorEthiopia has experienced revolutions, reforms, and rebrandings—but it has never rebuilt its political foundation. Beneath imperial crowns, revolutionary slogans, and democratic constitutions lies the same architecture: a centralised state governed by one ethnic elite at a time.

3 weeks ago | martinplaut.com | Martin Plaut |Haimanot B. Atinkut

By Haimanot B. AtinkutThe Derg was a regime of clenched fists and silenced mouths. After seizing power in 1974, it nationalized land and erased dissent. Amnesty International’s archives bear witness to a Red Terror that left tens of thousands dead. The people’s suffering was state policy, wrapped in revolutionary slogans. For nearly three decades, the TPLF controlled Ethiopia through the EPRDF like a child hugging a favorite toy.