The Ethiopia-Eritrea Standoff

The Ethiopia-Eritrea Standoff

From The Horn by International Crisis Group

January 15, 2026 · 39 min · Season 7 · Episode 7

About this episode

The episode discusses the escalating tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea and the factors restraining war despite hostile rhetoric.

In this episode of The Horn, Alan is joined by Michael Woldemariam, associate professor at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy, to unpack the escalating tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea. They examine how these dynamics are intertwined with the fragmenting political and security situation in Tigray, Ethiopia’s push for sea access, and Eritrea’s deep-seated existential security concerns. They examine why, despite increasingly hostile rhetoric, war has not yet broken out, and what factors continue to restrain both sides. They also look at whether regional polarisation and global shifts could tip the balance and whether any credible options remain to de-escalate the standoff. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Alan

Guest: Michael Woldemariam

Topics covered

  • Ethiopia-Eritrea relations
  • Tigray conflict
  • regional security
  • political dynamics
  • de-escalation strategies

Keywords

  • Ethiopia
  • Eritrea
  • Tigray
  • security concerns
  • regional dynamics
  • de-escalation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Maryland

Places: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Tigray

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