Ethiopian Foreign Policy Under Military and EPRDF Regimes: Changes and Continuities

Abstract

This paper attempted to examines changes and continuities of Ethiopian foreign policy under the military and EPRDF regimes. Accordingly, the paper argues that there are changes and continuties in Ethiopian foreign policymaking and executions under military and EPRDF regimes. The study used secondary source of data; collected from books, journal articles, published and unpublished materials,, governmental and non-governmental organization reports and remarks, magazines and web sources. To substantiate and supplement the secondary data, the paper also used primary data collected through key informant interview. Given the data gathered are qualitative, the study employed qualitative data analysis techniques. The finding of the study revealed that the demise of military regime brought not merely change in terms of foreign policy making and execution but also brought shift in foreign policy approach and orientation of the country from outward looking foreign policy to inward looking foreign. Despite, a shift in orientation and style of foreign policy, domestic factors, and external factors remain the defining factors of Ethiopian foreign policy under both military and EPRDF regimes.