"There were two reasons why Mengistu and others in the Derg wanted Soviet arms. First, they came to power as revolutionaries with a radical program. They regularly denounced imperialism, yet they remained dependent on the bulwark of what they called imperialism, the United States, for the most critical of all commodities, weapons for their army. Could they be true revolutionaries and socialists and still have such a vital link to the United States? It was very embarassing. But it was more than that. For the second and equally powerful motive that pushed them toward the Soviets was that they wanted a much bigger army than Ethiopia had at the outbreak of the revolution."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
David A. Korn (1986), Ethiopia, the United States, and the Soviet Union, p. 17-18
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ethiopian_Civil_War
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Related Quotes
"The Emperor of Ethiopia has been deposed by a military coup … Poor Haile Selassie; over the past few years he'd lost …"
"Haile Selassie was not an evil man, but his priorities were misplaced. He was so concerned with establishing a strong…"
"[Haile Selassie] wanted to avoid bloodshed, so he gave up power for the good of his people and without fighting."
"Haile Selassie wanted to develop his country, but social justice was not a concept that made a great impression on hi…"
"The Derg was largely a mystery to the Americans, as it was to others. The officers of the US military mission in the …"
"The killing of General Aman and of the old regime notables was the turning-point for the Ethiopian revolution. To tha…"
"No sooner had Mengistu seized power than he unleashed an orgy of killing. Arms were given out to the Kebelles ('Urban…"
"1,000 children have been killed, and their bodies are left in the streets and are being eaten by wild hyenas . . . Yo…"
"Of all these offenses the one that is most widely, frequently, and vehemently denounced is undoubtedly imperialism—so…"
"Henceforth we will tackle our enemies that come face to face with us and we will not be stabbed in from behind by int…"