Understanding democracy versus self-determination - Sudan Tribune, Sudan - August 20, 2008

Understanding the difference between the concepts of democracy and self-determination is important. Conflating the two concepts together is problematical and that leads to bafflement and confusion. Some Oromo nationals have already become a victim of this and unable to differentiate the two concepts, one from the other. To begin with, self-determination, as historically defined, does not oppose democracy. That is, though democracy and self-determination are not conceptually the same, they are not exclusive to each other. It is for this, John Stuart Mill recognized that democracy can function only where the nationalist principle that every nation ought to have its own state is realized. The implication of this is that there cannot be democracy in an empire where nations and peoples are forced to live together in an empire. In order not to fall into conceptual trap, one should distinguish the difference between the concept of self-determination and democracy. Since 2001, a few elements within Oromo nationals have chosen to follow a political line of democratization of Ethiopia. Since then, these elements have been trying to twist, bastardize, and distort the two concepts in order to fuse the two together as one and the same, so as to confuse and mislead the public. Read More.