Memorandum

Back in 2006, Ethiopia was the big player in the Horn of Africa. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's leadership brought about a time of unprecedented political stability. The EPRDF held the reins tightly, and the economy was on fire with an average growth rate of 8% annually, thanks in no small part to Western aid. Ethiopia's robust military and economic boom made it a linchpin for the U.S. in the War on Terror, which gave it the green light to meddle in Somalia. Using its formidable military, Ethiopia thrust itself into Somalia…

Sudan signed a "historic" memorandum of understanding on Thursday with General Electric, the US power generation group. The deal comes after decades of US sanctions, with Sudan since 1993 on the US blacklist of countries supporting terrorism. Between 1992 and 1996, the Sudanese dictator Omar-al-Bashir had really welcomed the leader of the jihadist group al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden.…