AAU SCHOOL OF COMMERCE

Department of Business Administration And Information system

GLOBAL TREND GROUP ASSIGNMENT

IR, FP, DIMENSIONS AND BEHAVIOUR AND FP OBJECTIVES

DURING EMPEROR MENELIK II

GROUP MEMBERS ID
1. Ayida Shemsu BEE/3927/14
2. Beimnet Hanne BEE/4691/14
3. Elias Hussen BEE/9881/14
4.

Submitted to – Mr. Habtu

 Introduction
Foreign policy refers to the sets of objectives and instruments that a state adopts to guide its
relation with the outside world. The objectives of foreign policy which a state wants to achieve
are in one way or another related to national interest
Foreign policy is something that a state would like to achieve in its external relations with others.
It involves the general purposes and specific strategies a state employs to achieve or promote its
national interest. According to Rochester, foreign policy refers to “the set of priorities and
percepts established by national leaders to serve as guidelines for choosing among various
courses of action in specific situations in international affairs”
Foreign policy also involves specific instruments and tactics that must be employed to realize
those objectives and goals. The most widely employed instruments include, diplomatic
bargaining, economic instruments, propaganda, terrorism (sabotage), and use of force (war).
Each instrument is used to affect the behaviors of other states, and has an element of power. In
diplomacy, states attempt to affect the behavior of others through bargaining that involves less
element of power as compared to other instruments. Yet states may manipulate carrot and stick
methods such as reward or threats so as to induce agreement whenever there appears to be
incompatible goals and objectives Foreign policy, just like any policy, sets short term, middle
term and long term goals and objectives to be achieved in proportion to a state’s capability. Such
classifications of foreign policy objectives is based on the combination of the three criteria:(1)
the value placed on the objective; (2) the time element placed on its achievement; and (3) the
kind of demands
Ethiopia’s foreign policy objectives have shifted over time. The country’s leaders have placed a
high priority on achieving regional peace, improving living conditions for the poor, and
promoting economic development, especially in the agricultural sector. They also have sought to
build diverse economic partnerships, primarily with African and Asian countries, that will
enhance Ethiopia’s international economic relations
 Menelik II
Menelik II (Ge'ez: ዳግማዊ ምኒልክ dagmawi mənilək; horse name Abba Dagnew (Amharic: አባ
ዳኘው abba daññäw); 17 August 1844 – 12 December 1913), baptised as Sahle Maryam (ሣህለ
ማርያም sahlä maryam) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1889 to his death in 1913 and King of
Shewa from 1866 to 1889. At the height of his internal power and external prestige, the process
of territorial expansion and creation of the modern empire-state was completed by 1898.
The Ethiopian Empire was transformed under Emperor Menelik: the major signposts of
modernisation were put in place, with the assistance of key ministerial advisors. Externally,
Menelik led Ethiopian troops against Italian invaders in the First Italo-Ethiopian War; following
a decisive victory at the Battle of Adwa, recognition of Ethiopia's independence by external
powers was expressed in terms of diplomatic representation at his court and delineation of
Ethiopia's boundaries with the adjacent colonies.[2] Menelik expanded his realm to the south and
east, into Oromo, Kaffa, Sidama, Wolayta and other kingdoms or republics,
Later in his reign, Menelik established the first Cabinet of Ministers to help in the administration
of the Empire, appointing trusted and widely respected nobles and retainers to the first
Ministries. These ministers would remain in place long after his death, serving in their posts
through the brief reign of Lij Iyasu (whom they helped depose) and into the reign of Empress
Zewditu.
Today, the Battle of Adwa remains national pride of Ethiopians, celebrated in March annually,
and inspired Pan-African movements around the globe.
Menelik is the son of a Shewan Amhara aristocrat, Negus Haile Melekot, and probably of the
palace servant girl Ejigayehu Lemma Adyamo. He was born in Angolalla and baptized to the
name Sahle Maryam. His father, at the age of 18 before inheriting the throne, impregnated
Ejigayehu, then left her; he did not recognize that Sahle Maryam was born. The boy enjoyed a
respected position in the royal household and he received a traditional church education.
In 1855 the Emperor of Ethiopia, Tewodros II, invaded the then semi-independent kingdom of
Shewa. Early in the subsequent campaigns, Haile Malakot died, and Sahle Miriam was captured
and taken to the emperor’s mountain stronghold, Amba Magdela. Still, Tewodros treated the
young prince well, even offering him his daughter Altash Tewodros in marriage, which Menelik
accepted.
Upon Menelik's imprisonment, his uncle, Haile Mikael, was appointed as Shum of Shewa by
Emperor Tewodros II with the title of Meridazmach. However, Meridazmach Haile Mikael
rebelled against Tewodros, resulting in his being replaced by the non-royal Ato Bezabeh as
Shum. Ato Bezabeh in turn rebelled against the Emperor and proclaimed himself Negus of
Shewa. Although the Shewan royals imprisoned at Magdala had been largely complacent as long
as a member of their family ruled over Shewa, this usurpation by a commoner was not
acceptable to them. They plotted Menelik's escape from Magdala; with the help of Mohammed
Ali and Queen Worqitu of Wollo, he escaped from Magdala on the night of 1 July 1865,
abandoning his wife, and returned to Shewa. Enraged, Emperor Tewodros slaughtered 29 Oromo
hostages then had 12 Amhara notables beaten to death with bamboo rods.
The Reign of Menelik II, 1889-1913
By 1900 Menelik had succeeded in establishing control over much of present-day Ethiopia and
had, in part at least, gained recognition from the European colonial powers of the boundaries of
his empire. Although in many respects a traditionalist, he introduced several significant changes.
His decision in the late 1880s to locate the royal encampment at Addis Ababa ("New Flower") in
southern Shewa led to the gradual rise of a genuine urban center and a permanent capital in the
1890s, a development that facilitated the introduction of new ideas and technology. The capital's
location symbolized the empire's southern reorientation, a move that further irritated Menelik's
Tigrayan opponents and some Amhara of the more northerly provinces who resented Shewan
hegemony. Menelik also authorized a French company to build a railroad, not completed until
1917, that eventually would link Addis Ababa and Djibouti.

Menelik embarked on a program of military conquest that more than doubled the size of his
domain. Enjoying superior firepower, his forces overran the Kembata and Welamo regions in the
southern highlands. Also subdued were the Kefa and other Oromo- and Omotic-speaking
peoples.

Expanding south, Menelik introduced a system of land rights considerably modified from that
prevailing in the AmharaTigray highlands. These changes had significant implications for the
ordinary cultivator in the south and ultimately were to generate quite different responses there to
the land reform programs that would follow the revolution of 1974. In the central and northern
highlands, despite regional variations, most peasants had substantial inheritable (broadly, rist)
rights in land. In addition to holding rights of this kind, the nobility held or were assigned certain
economic rights in the land, called gult rights, which entitled them to a portion of the produce of
the land in which others held rist rights and to certain services from the rist holders. The
Ethiopian Orthodox Church also held land of its own and gult rights in land to which peasants
held rist rights. In the south, all land theoretically belonged to the emperor. He in turn allocated
land rights to those he appointed to office and to his soldiers. The rights allocated by the king
were more extensive than the gult rights prevailing in the north and left most of the indigenous
peoples as tenants, with far fewer rights than Amhara and Tigray peasants. Thus, the new
landowners in the south were aliens and remained largely so.

At the same time that Menelik was extending his empire, European colonial powers were
showing an interest in the territories surrounding Ethiopia. Menelik considered the Italians a
formidable challenge and negotiated the Treaty of Wuchale with them in 1889. Among its terms
were those permitting the Italians to establish their first toehold on the edge of the northern
highlands and from which they subsequently sought to expand into Tigray. Disagreements over
the contents of the treaty eventually induced Menelik to renounce it and repay in full a loan Italy
had granted as a condition. Thereafter, relations with Italy were further strained as a result of the
establishment of Eritrea as a colony and Italy's penetration of the Somali territories.

Italian ambitions were encouraged by British actions in 1891, when, hoping to stabilize the
region in the face of the Mahdist threat in Sudan, Britain agreed with the Italian government that
Ethiopia should fall within the Italian sphere of influence. France, however, encouraged Menelik
to oppose the Italian threat by delineating the projected boundaries of his empire. Anxious to
advance French economic interests through the construction of a railroad from Addis Ababa to
the city of Djibouti in French Somaliland, France accordingly reduced the size of its territorial
claims there and recognized Ethiopian sovereignty in the area.

Italian-Ethiopian relations reached a low point in 1895, when Ras Mengesha of Tigray, hitherto
reluctant to recognize the Shewan emperor's claims, was threatened by the Italians and asked for
the support of Menelik. In late 1895, Italian forces invaded Tigray. However, Menelik
completely routed them in early 1896 as they approached the Tigrayan capital, Adwa. This
victory brought Ethiopia new prestige as well as general recognition of its sovereign status by the
European powers. Besides confirming the annulment of the Treaty of Wuchale, the peace
agreement ending the conflict also entailed Italian recognition of Ethiopian independence; in
return, Menelik permitted the Italians to retain their colony of Eritrea.

In addition to attempts on the part of Britain, France, and Italy to gain influence within the
empire, Menelik was troubled by intrigues originating in Russia, Germany, and the Ottoman
Empire. But, showing a great capacity to play one power off against another, the emperor was
able to avoid making any substantial concessions. Moreover, while pursuing his own territorial
designs, Menelik joined with France in 1898 to penetrate Sudan at Fashoda and then cooperated
with British forces in British Somaliland between 1900 and 1904 to put down a rebellion in the
Ogaden by Somali leader Muhammad Abdullah Hassan. By 1908 the colonial powers had
recognized Ethiopia's borders except for those with Italian Somaliland.

After Menelik suffered a disabling stroke in May 1906, his personal control over the empire
weakened. Apparently responding to that weakness and seeking to avoid an outbreak of conflict
in the area, Britain, France, and Italy signed the Tripartite Treaty, which declared that the
common purpose of the three powers was to maintain the political status quo and to respect each
other's interests. Britain's interest, it was recognized, lay around Lake Tana and the headwaters of
the Abay (Blue Nile). Italy's chief interest was in linking Eritrea with Italian Somaliland.
France's interest was the territory to be traversed by the railroad from Addis Ababa to Djibouti in
French Somaliland.

Apparently recognizing that his political strength was ebbing, Menelik established a Council of
Ministers in late 1907 to assist in the management of state affairs. The foremost aspirants to the
throne, Ras Mekonnen and Ras Mengesha, had died in 1906. In June 1908, the emperor
designated his thirteen-year-old nephew, Lij Iyasu, son of Ras Mikael of Welo, as his successor.
After suffering another stroke in late 1908, the emperor appointed Ras Tessema as regent. These
developments ushered in a decade of political uncertainty. The great nobles, some with foreign
financial support, engaged in intrigues anticipating a time of troubles as well as of opportunity
upon Menelik's death.

In contrast to Dr. G.-N. Sanderson’s belief that ‘down to the collapse of the Mahdist state itself,
the Mahdist alliance was the central feature of Menelik’s diplomacy, this article shows that
Ethiopia’s detente with the Sudan after 1896 was only one part of a carefully constructed, non-
committal foreign policy designed to protect Ethiopia against all foreseeable eventualities. If
there were anything central in the minds of Ethiopian policy-makers, it could only have been
their uncertainty about the outcome of the events which were rapidly reaching a crisis point in
the Sudan. Menelik therefore chose not to commit himself to any one policy toward the Sudan
until the complicated situation there ran its course. At the same time, he pursued a line of
diplomacy in the east and the south which would consolidate his victory over the Italians and
which would materially strengthen his Empire.

Succession
On 10 March 1889, Emperor Yohannes IV was killed in a war with the Mahdist State during the
Battle of Gallabat (Metemma).[13] With his dying breath, Yohannes declared his natural son,
Dejazemach Mengesha Yohannes, to be his heir. On 25 March, upon hearing of the death of
Yohannes, Negus Menelik immediately proclaimed himself as Emperor.[14]
Menelik argued that while the family of Yohannes IV claimed descent from King Solomon and
the Queen of Sheba through females of the dynasty, his own claim was based on uninterrupted
direct male lineage which made the claims of the House of Shewa equal to those of the elder
Gondar line of the dynasty. Menelik, and later his daughter Zewditu, would be the last Ethiopian
monarchs who could claim uninterrupted direct male descent from King Solomon and the Queen
of Sheba (both Lij Iyasu and Emperor Haile Selassie were in the female line,

The Great Famine (1888–1892)

During Menelik's reign, the great famine of 1888 to 1892, which was the worst famine in the
region's history, killed a third of the total population which was then estimated at 12 million.[55]
The famine was caused by rinderpest, an infectious viral cattle disease which wiped out most of
the national livestock, killing over 90% of the cattle. The native cattle population had no prior
exposure and were unable to fight off the disease.

Wuchale Treaty

On 2 May 1889, while claiming the throne against Ras Mengesha Yohannes, the "natural son" of
Emperor Yohannes IV, Menelik concluded a treaty with Italy at Wuchale (Uccialli in Italian) in
Wollo province. On the signing of the treaty, Menelik said "The territories north of the Merab
Milesh (i.e. Eritrea) do not belong to Abyssinia nor are under my rule. I am the Emperor of
Abyssinia. The land referred to as Eritrea is not peopled by Abyssinians – they are Adals, Bejaa,
and Tigres. Abyssinia will defend his territories but will not fight for foreign lands, which Eritrea
is to my knowledge."[57] Under the Treaty, Abyssinia and Kingdom of Italy agreed to define the
boundary between Eritrea and Ethiopia.

Developments during Menelik's reign

Relations with Russia
Menelik begun expanding Ethiopia's diplomatic ties, looking to Europe for a major power
willing to enter into a relationship with the Ethiopian government. His sights soon settled on
Imperial Russia, which proved amenable to Ethiopian attempts to establish a diplomatic
relationship. During the visit of a Russian diplomatic and military mission in 1893, Menelik II
concluded a Russo-Ethiopian alliance. As a result, from 1893 to 1913, the Russian government
sponsored the visits of thousands of advisers and volunteers from Russia to Ethiopia. Among
those who were sent were the Russian poets Alexander Bulatovich and Nikolay Gumilyov, both
of whom developed close personal ties with Menelik. Russian support for Ethiopia led to the
advent of a Russian Red Cross mission as medical support for the Ethiopian military. It arrived
in Addis Ababa some three months after Menilek's victory at Adwa, and established the first
hospital in Ethiopia.
Abolition of slave trading
By the mid-1890s, Menelik was actively suppressing the slave trade, ordering the destruction of
several slave markets throughout the region and punishing slave traders with amputation.[78] Both
Tewodros II and Yohannes IV had outlawed slave trading, but as not all tribes were against it
and as the country was surrounded on every side by slave raiders and traders, it was not possible
even at the dawn of the 20th century to suppress the trade entirely.[79] According to apologists,
while Menelik actively enforced his prohibition, it was beyond his power to change the minds of
all his people regarding the age-old practice.
Introducing new technology

After the Treaty of Addis Ababa was signed in 1896, Europeans recognised the sovereignty of
Ethiopia. Menelik then finalised signing treaties with Europeans to demarcate the border of
modern Ethiopia by 1904
Menelik II was fascinated by modernity, and like Tewodros II before him, he had a keen
ambition to introduce Western technological and administrative advances into Ethiopia.
Following the rush by the major powers to establish diplomatic relations following the Ethiopian
victory at Adwa, more and more westerners began to travel to Ethiopia looking for trade,
farming, hunting, and mineral exploration concessions.[81] Menelik II founded the first modern
bank in Ethiopia, the Bank of Abyssinia, introduced the first modern postal system, signed the
agreement and initiated work that established the Addis Ababa –Djibouti railway with the
French, introduced electricity to Addis Ababa, as well as the telephone, telegraph, the motor car,
and modern plumbing. He attempted unsuccessfully to introduce coinage to replace the Maria
Theresa thaler.
In 1894, Menelik granted a concession for the building of a railway to his capital from the
French port of Djibouti but, alarmed by a claim made by France in 1902 to control of the line in
Ethiopian territory, he ordered a stop for four years on the extension of the railway beyond Dire
Dawa. In 1906 when France, the United Kingdom, and Italy came to an agreement on the
subject, granting control to a joint venture corporation, Menelik officially reaffirmed his full
sovereign rights over the whole of his empire.
Italo-Ethiopian War

Menelik's disagreement with Article 17 of the treaty led to the Battle of Adwa. Before Italy could
launch the invasion, Eritreans rebelled in an attempt to push Italy out of Eritrea and prevent its
invasion of Ethiopia. The rebellion was not successful. However, some of the Eritreans managed
to make their way to the Ethiopian camp and jointly fought Italy at the battle of Adwa.
On 17 September 1895, Menelik ordered all of the Ethiopian nobility to call out their banners
and raise their feudal hosts, stating: "An enemy has come across the sea. He has broken through
our frontiers in order to destroy our fatherland and our faith. I allowed him to seize my
possessions and I entered upon lengthy negotiations with him in hopes of obtaining justice
without bloodshed. But the enemy refuses to listen. He undermines our territories and our people
like a mole. Enough! With the help of God I will defend the inheritance of my forefathers and
drive back the invader by force of arms. Let every man who has sufficient strength accompany
me. And he who has not, let him pray for us" Menelik's opponent, General Oreste Baratieri,
underestimated the size of the Ethiopian force, predicating that Menelik could only field 30,000
men.
Despite the dismissive Italian claim that Ethiopia was a "barbaric" African nation whose men
were no match for white troops, the Ethiopians were better armed, being equipped with
thousands of modern French rifles and Hotchkiss artillery guns together with ammunition and
shells which were superior to the Italian rifles and artillery. Menelik had ensured that his infantry
and artillerymen were properly trained in their use, giving the Ethiopians a crucial advantage as
the Hotchkiss artillery could fire more rapidly than the Italian artillery. In 1887 a British
diplomat, Gerald Portal, wrote after seeing the Ethiopian feudal hosts parade before him, the
Ethiopians were "...redeemed by the possession of unbounded courage, by a disregard of death,
and by a national pride, which leads them to look down on every human being who has not had
the good fortune to be born an Abyssinian [Ethiopian]"
The Emperor personally led his army to attack an Italian force led by Major Toselli on 7
December 1895 at Boota Hill The Ethiopians attacked a force of 350 Eritrean irregulars on the
left flank, who collapsed under the Ethiopian assault, causing Toselli to send two companies of
Italian infantry who halted the Ethiopian advance. Just as Toselli was rejoicing in his apparent
victory, the main Ethiopian assault came down on his right flank, causing Toselli to order retreat.
The Emperor's best general, Ras Alula, had occupied the road leading back to Eritrea, and
launched a surprise attack, which routed the Italians The battle of Amba Alagi ended with an
Italian force of 2,150 men losing 1,000 men and 20 officers killed.
Ras Alula followed up that victory by defeating General Arimondi and forcing the Italians to
retreat to the fort at Mekele. Ras Alula laid siege to the fort, and on the morning of 7 January
1896, the defenders of the fort spotted a huge red tent among the besiegers, showing that the
emperor had arrived. On 8 January 1896, the emperor's elite Shoan infantry captured the fort's
well, and then beat off desperate Italian attempts to retake the well. On 19 January 1896, the
fort's commander, Major Galliano, whose men were dying of dehydration, raised the white flag
of surrender. Major Galliano and his men were allowed to march out, surrender their arms and to
go free. Menelik stated he allowed the Italians to go free as "to give proof of my Christian faith,"
saying his quarrel was with the Italian government of Prime Minister Francesco Crispi that was
trying to conquer his nation, not the ordinary Italian soldiers who been conscripted against their
will to fight in the war. Menelik's magnanimity to the defenders of Fort Mekele may have been
an act of psychological warfare. Menelik knew from talking to French and Russian diplomats
that the war and Crispi himself were unpopular in Italy, and one of the main points of Crispi's
propaganda were allegations of atrocities against Italian POWs. From Menelik's viewpoint
allowing the Italian POWs to go free and unharmed was the best way of rebutting this
propaganda and undermining public support for Crispi.    

Menelik II in 1899
Crispi sent another 115,000 men to the Horn of Africa and ordered the main Italian commander,
General Oreste Baratieri, to finish off the "barbarians"As Baratieri dithered, Menelik was forced
to pull back on 17 February 1896 as his huge host was running out of food. After Crispi sent an
insulting telegram accusing Baratieri of cowardice, on 28 February 1896 the Italians decided to
seek battle with Menelik. On 1 March 1896, the two armies met at Adwa. The Ethiopians came
out victorious.
With victory at the Battle of Adwa and the Italian colonial army destroyed, Eritrea was Emperor
Menelik's for the taking but no order to occupy was given. It seems that Emperor Menelik II was
wiser than the Europeans had given him credit for. Realising that the Italians would bring all
their force to bear on his country if he attacked he instead sought to restore the peace that had
been broken by the Italians and their treaty manipulation seven years before. In signing the
treaty, Menelik II again proved his adeptness at politics as he promised each nation something
for what they gave and made sure each would benefit his country and not another nation.
Subsequently, the Treaty of Addis Ababa was reached between the two nations. Italy was forced
to recognise the absolute independence of Ethiopia, as described in Article III of the treaty.

When did Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia die?

Emperor Menelik II GCB, GCMG (Ge'ez: ዳግማዊ ምኒልክ, Dagmäwi Menelik ), baptised as Sahle
Maryam (17 August 1844 – 12 December 1913), was Negus of Shewa (1866–89), then Emperor
of Ethiopia from 1889 to his death in 1913.