Self-Determination Archives

Article | Op-Ed | Politics
What Does the Demand “Remove Article 39” Really Mean?
By OT Editorial Posted on2026-05-152026-05-15
Article 39 of the Ethiopian Constitution is often portrayed as a threat to national unity, but its deeper purpose is widely misunderstood. Far from encouraging separation, Article 39 functions as a constitutional safety valve that guarantees coexistence by consent rather than coercion. This article explores why the demand to remove Article 39 alarms many nations and peoples, the political psychology behind self-determination, and how abolishing constitutional guarantees could unintentionally weaken the very unity its opponents claim to defend.
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Article | Epigenetics | Politics | Psychosociology | Social Psychology | Sociopolitical
From Trauma to Transformation: Historical Violence and the Possibility of Healing in Oromia
By Yadessa Guma (PhD, Anthropology) Posted on2026-05-062026-05-05
From conquest and slavery to modern conflict and insecurity, this article explores how historical violence continues to shape Oromia across generations socially, psychologically, and potentially biologically. Drawing on trauma studies, epigenetics, post-conflict research, and anti-colonial thought, it argues that lasting peace requires more than political change. Recognition, justice, cultural restoration, reconciliation, and healing are essential to breaking cycles of trauma and building a more stable and humane future.
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Op-Ed | Politics | ⏭
EZEMA’s Four “Core Problems of Ethiopia”: A Diagnosis Without Literacy of Ethiopian History
By Biqila Bariso (PhD, Physics; MSc, Cognitive Sci.) Posted on2025-12-132025-12-10
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EZEMA claims Ethiopia faces four fundamental problems, but its diagnosis reveals profound political illiteracy. By blaming the EPRDF for an “ethnic problem” and proposing the absurd abolition of ethnic politics, EZEMA misreads Ethiopia’s history, structure, and lived realities. This article exposes why EZEMA’s worldview collapses under scrutiny — from sovereignty and rights to poverty and national narrative — and why Ethiopia’s future cannot be grounded in such conceptual blindness.
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Op-Ed | Politics | ⏭
The First Principles Violated: The Simple Truth Behind a Century of Ethiopian Instability
By Biqila Bariso (PhD, Physics; MSc, Cognitive Sci.) Posted on2025-12-112025-12-11
Politics remains the only profession where immense power requires no mastery of first principles, and nowhere is this more destructive than in Ethiopia. Identity is reshaped, consent bypassed, and self-determination denied—violations that predictably produce rebellion, collapse, and endless conflict. This article distills the political laws of stability Ethiopia keeps defying, and shows why stability, peace, and development will remain elusive until its leaders embrace these foundational truths. It ends with a postscript message to the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (ENDC), warning it against repeating the foundational violations at the root of Ethiopia’s instability.
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Op-Ed | Opinion | ⏭
Why Oromia’s Future Demands Clarity: Independence vs. “Democritizing Ethiopia”
By Yadessa Guma (PhD, Anthropology) Posted on2025-11-242025-11-24
This article examines the evolving debate over Oromo self-determination any time soon, contrasting the independence path with the argument for democratizing Ethiopia’s federation. Grounded in constitutional analysis, human rights reporting, security trends, and long-term governance patterns, it evaluates which option aligns with the lived realities in Oromia today. The evidence increasingly challenges assumptions about a reformable Ethiopian state, raising critical questions about whether a monitored Article 39 referendum is now the most credible way to resolve the Oromo self-determination question.
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