The art of politics and diplomacy (P&D) require timely finessed actions, for their rough edges are hard to discern at times and harder yet to pin down. Much like the physical world, P&D, are whittled by time and can serve as warp and woof in the physical space that humans inhabit. Therefore, we must be quick on our feet to notice when the P&D begin to shift their paradigm, at which time our thoughts must shift to fit the space and time to remain relevant or risk miss it shifting right beneath our feet.

It is that unique disposition that politicians have, of being able to push the envelope of P&D too close to the Grill of diplomatic fires in order to remain relevant that sustains them to stay in power. They take risks knowing full well that they may get burned sometimes, but calculated risk must be taken and remains an essential element for politicians.

Consider this.

P&D In The Face of Tragedy

How could one forget when passenger planes plough into high rise buildings with people in both doomed to perish right in front of one's naked eyes. Too frighteningly angst producing scene to forget and too incomprehensibly inexplicable to fathom why anyone would do such a reprehensible act.

Our beloved President of Eritrea, however, did not hesitate to use such a colossal event to reposition himself from the shaky grounds he was in politically at home and militarily weakened by the war of 1998 – 2000 with the giant neighboring Ethiopia from the South, as each leaders bid to become the regional power house of the Horn.

When the world was too dazzled by the events of 9/11, President Afewerki, was one of the first to make it clear of his stand in standing tall on the side of the United States against global terrorism. He seemed to read the political paradigm shift in precise ways before even the United States could articulate its new foreign policies, the man sensed the change in the air and repositioned himself and exploited the circumstance to his own end by pushing it to its max.

This monumental date, indeed, as Mr. Afewerki, seemed to have predicted it marked the change in how foreign policy of the United States was going to be conducted from the containment policies of the cold war era to a new doctrine of proactively and preemptively engaging rogue nations in their own turfs.

The president of Eritrea's intention for siding with the United States was nothing but an affront for the evil intentions that was to descend upon the people of Eritrea domestically. True to form, the President, shutdown the blossoming private run press and jailed its editors.

More emboldened by the preoccupation of the world with the corollary effect of the 9/11, the President of Eritrea, went for the jugular and imprisoned several cabinet ministers who fought on his side during pre-independence years and who openly showed their displeasure of the way the war with Ethiopia was conducted (1998 – 2000).

The month in which Eritrea's revolutionary struggle was incepted seems to be the month in which the Eritrean political landscape finds a way to evolve or devolve depending on one's perception of the events taking place at any given time.

Six year to date (from the 9/11/01) Eritrean leader managed to make 360 revolutionary turn, in stark opposite from where he stood tall along side of the United States in the fight against terrorism to being one of the rogue nations that's harboring terrorists according to the United States today. The turn of revolutionary degree is nothing but to remain relevant politically in the region.

Consider This.

Take this month's aggressive Eritrean government's stance in deciding to host various splinter groups that were ousted by the Ethiopian army in decisively invading Somalia to put the secular Somali government in power. The wisdom of such a move on Ethiopia's part or lack there of it not withstanding, one could not help but wonder the wisdom of Eritrea's move to harbor what the United States considers an Alqaeda leader who was responsible in the bombing of American Embassies in Kenya and Tanzanya simultaneously.

This time the Grill of P&D may have flames that Mr. Afewerki would not be able to withstand: it will burn him to the ground. As it were, if this isn't the last nail on the coffin for Eritrea's leader that will ostensibly seal his fate, I don't know what is? Such a move can only be seen as a government desperately aiding and abetting on its own demise and spiraling out of control, undoubtedly, a leadership on a tailspin. There is one missing element that must play its cards right if the Chief and his cronies are to face the wrath of the U.S.

The So Called Opposition Groups

But of course, such kinds of tailspins by Eritrean government would be taken advantage of by the myriad opposition groups that are trying to oust the Eritrean government, one would think. Not the Eritrea's hodgepodge opposition groups who are on a similar tailspin of their own. Please read Awate's interviews of several opposition group leaders for some flavor and amusement.

The opposition groups are too busy trying to measure their responses seemingly not to offend the sensibilities of Eritrean government, not the Eritrean public. As it were, many of these leaders seem as if they were carving that perfect plaque, whittling it here carving it there to perfection; but the recipient of such perfectly whittled wood one couldn't tell for sure. Was it for Issayas…was it for Eritrean people…heck, or even the Awate Team that might be the unknowing contenders for such a prize – what a confused bunch! After all, Awate's Pencil was just as confusing in this regard as the rest. What does "Eritrea is not terrorist, its leaders are" means anyway?

This is no time to divulging one's grievances over the United States's approach vis-à-vis Eritrea's internal versus external misgivings. This is the time for unequivocally seizing the momentum. Not splitting hairs over "disappointment and indifference." Where would these kinds of "mixture" responses get the various organizations attempting to oust the Asmara Administration? Precisely nowhere better than where they are right now. "Tactics" versus "strategy," please, give it currency, cash it out, how does that help rid of the man at the helm?

Had these opposition groups moved with gusto and articulated their deeply held beliefs of internal and external threat the regime in Eritrea is committing on its people and on its neighboring countries, perhaps, the U.S. would be keen to listen and to help resolve it rid the leader at home from the throne much like what the West had done to many leaders worlds apart. Remember Noriega! Remember Charles Taylor!

Couldn't these opposition groups learn from their arch enemy in the helm who made his move without any shame to shutdown all private press and put many of their editors and several cabinet ministers in jail soon after expressing his condolences on the 3000 Americans that were killed by unequivocally giving his support to America's war on terror after 9/11/01. In fact, Issayas, made his move at a speed of light that nobody paid any attention to what this leader of a tiny nation was doing on 9/18/01. Frankly, nobody would care given the circumstance and the ambience of the bleak future that was looming in the horizon. Nonetheless, that's what one could call a man with a mission.

Six years later, Mr. Afewerki, is on a total opposite side of the country that he paid his homage to, but he accomplished his objectives and that's what really mattered then and that's what should really matter now for the opposition. Get rid of the Chief by any means necessary. He got rid of the groups that were a threat to his throne and didn't give a whit of what anybody that mattered, from within Eritrean proper or from without, thought.

Finally, we all know U.S. foreign policy is never about anything else but its interests. There is no place where America goes unless its national interests are perceivably/conceivably at risk. Therefore, why get bogged down in semantics of political rhetoric, resentment and indifference that would take the opposition nowhere but freeze in space and time where they had been for the last God knows how many years. And what's there to consider other than to prepare with all one's might in receiving this potentially good news that will undo the regime in Asmara as we know it.

It would be incumbent upon all opposition groups to seize this opportunity and show the demigod of the world, the U.S., that Eritrea would be in good hands with the opposition in power, not with the Chief who is occupying Eritrea's Whitehouse today. Make a case. Form a transparent government in exile. Be prepared to take over, not waste time arguing with each other. How in the world can the United States help the opposition oust the regime in Asmara when it is unable to comprehend the political fortune that's staring it in the face? The reactions of opposition groups, at best borders reproach and at worst it will be ghoulishness that they will never recover from.

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