WATCH LIVE: Secretary of State Blinken gives remarks during visit to Ethiopia
PBS NewsHourNov 23, 2022
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Image copyright: AFP [via Al Jazeera]
The Facts
US Sec. of State Antony Blinken is set to embark on an official trip to the continent of Africa on Thursday. The visit see him become the first serving Sec. of State to travel to the Niger and the highest-ranking member of the Biden admin. to visit the violence-stricken Sahel region.
Thursday's trip will be the fourth visit to Africa made by high-ranking Biden admin. officials — First Lady Jill Biden, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and the US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield have all completed trips to the continent.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
In 2021, the Biden admin. stood strong against the atrocities taking place in Ethiopia by announcing a plan to release a package of sanctions aimed at discouraging the warring parties from continuing combat. The US government went the extra mile to ensure that the harsh sanctions would not adversely affect humanitarian aid, following a hard lesson learned from the Obama administration's efforts in Somalia in 2011. By engaging with European partners to consolidate support, thoroughly considered intervention seems to have done the trick at stabilizing the region.
Establishment-critical narrative
The Biden admin. wants people to believe that they care about Ethiopians, but it has a history of turning a blind eye to atrocities and humanitarian violations in the country. Blinken, Biden, and Rice are the trio to watch, having ignored the Mai Cadra Massacres in 2020, revenge killings by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), and the TPLF's targeted destruction of roads and bridges used for humanitarian aid. The US is motivated by geopolitical influence, not the men, women, or even the children suffering in Ethiopia.
