Gashaw Ayferam1
1Department of Political Science and International Relations, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
Corresponding Author’s E-mail: mugashawbzu@gmail.com
Abstract
This study examines the competing perspectives on the geopolitical implications of the booming hydropower development in Ethiopia since 1991, which has generated debates on its geopolitical ramifications. The study aims to synthesize the competing perspectives on hydropower development’s geopolitical implications through the lens of complex interdependence theory. The study used a qualitative research approach, gathering data from 50 purposively selected key informants from government institutions, regional organizations, academic institutions, research institutes, and power sector advisors. Additionally, documents and secondary sources were consulted. The study identifies three contending perspectives on the geopolitical implications of hydropower development in Ethiopia since 1991. While the hydro-transformative perspective considered hydropower development as having a positive implication for Ethiopia and the region at large, the hydro-skeptics considered it a source of hydro and geopolitical tensions and rivalry. By synthesizing these contradictory theses, the study introduces the third interdependence perspective arguing that the massive hydropower development in Ethiopia since 1991 is foreshadowing a new emergent region characterized by a complex interdependent grid region and grid-connected community where conflict and cooperation, rivalry, and competition coexist. Therefore, Ethiopia and countries in the region must navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by hydropower development within this complex web of competing and cooperative interests.
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