This article analyses the international and domestic causes behind the instability in the Horn of Africa. Two sets of theories are applied: on the one hand, modern historical materialist theories of international relations, and, on the other, recent theories on the development of African societies. Based on this, it is concluded that the main causes of instability are domestic, i.e. the personalized political system of Ethiopia in particular. However, it is also stressed that the changing international conjunctures form a frame within which the interventions of the great powers are to be understood. It is suggested that the results can be generalized to other Third World countries.
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