July 24, 1998
by Dagmawi
The Power of an Idea: One of the major goals of the Peace Corps is "to promote world peace and friendship." And ever since its inception in 1961, the Peace Corps has been a wonderful vehicle for peace.
The Peace Corps volunteers who served in Ethiopia and Eritrea made a difference in the lives of many Ethiopians and Eritreans. Many of the Peace Corps volunteers have continued to be involved with the countries in which they served. It is with great appreciation that we look upon their dedicated involvement for peace and development.
Today, in a war characterized by jingoistic nationalism, the returned Peace Corps Volunteers could serve as voices of reason and calm. They could again fulfill the noble mission of the Peace Corps by helping to initiate dialogue and supporting peace efforts.
From Peace Corps to War Corps: It is unavoidable however, that a few individuals would deeply self-identify with their host country. For example, Mr. John Rude, a former Peace Corps volunteer who served in Eritrea has written several inflammatory articles that are demeaning towards Ethiopians. His articles such as "independece declaration" are incitements to war and do not serve the cause of peace.
The writings of Mr. John Rude are probably not surprising. They are however, disappointing. It is particularly discouraging to see a former peace corps volunteer actively involved in attempts to undermine the Peace Plan put forth by his own government and backed by the OAU.
It is encouraging to note however, that Mr. John Rude was rebuked even within the Eritrean e-mail network. On June 14, he was requested to become less shrill and one-sided as evidenced in the note below:
The "us" and "them" game is not beneficial to peace. Not every Ethiopian is for war, nor should it be seen that the entire Ethiopian diaspora is the enemy. I understand that fostering an "us" and "them", may benefit your position, but it doesn't benefit the best interests of Eritreans or Ethiopians. Avoiding this type of colonial thing, is the very reason why many have been searching for an African solution.
On July 7, an Ethiopian contacted Mr. Rude in attempt to provide a more balanced view:
Please visit my webpage:
http://www.oocities.org/~dagmawi/
Let me know if there is anything there that you feel is incorrect or wrong. I do feel that quite a lot of the material posted at Dehai is demonstrably false, and I have posted some arguments explaining this at my website if you would like to read them.
Pump Up the Volume? Unfortunately, Mr. Rude did not take this constructive criticism to heart. On July 22, he was quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle. Once again he provided an extremely slanted view with new, unfounded accusations about Ethiopia. Once again he declined the opportunity to advocate peace.
Mr. John Rude knows what he is doing. He has appointed himself as a director of the Eritrean media campaign. This can be seen in a series of articles he wrote entitled "Pump Up the Volume."
What many Ethiopians and Eritreans are saying however, is "Turn Down the Volume." We do not want war, and we are disappointed that outsiders would consider it a useful service to "Pump Up the Volume."