And we are back!
This turbulent new year you may be saturated with news about Israel-Palestine sad developments, India's blame on Pakistan, and less about Angola-DR Congo outbreak of ebola, and movement for global protection of the sea. Yet, I would like to comment on the case of Ethiopia and the opinion held through the article referenced.
May I start by declaring that I am not an expert on Ethiopia, neither in Africa, so the comments are based on reviews and other practitioners' views.
The point is that the country would restrict action of foreign agencies (or locals that receive more than 10% of their funds from abroad) on "areas including human rights, equality, conflict resolution and the rights of children". Those are areas sensible for political objectives, and may destabilize the government through international pressure. Such understanding may be evidenced in the outcome of the vote in the Parliament, where the bill was passed by 327 votes to 79.
This is not necessarily bad, and may be a required step to LDC to strengthen their institutions and forge identity. So, the question may be of timing. But it seems that the country is doing well - as remarked by Harvard's Rodrik and commented by Blattman.
There is the question - maybe a naive one - if the endangered organizations would be able to receive funds from the government, once they start to enforce and channel the resources. If it is possible to that to happen, the result of such scheme could clearly reveal the maturity of Ethiopian state to better-off the conditions of their population.
Since it is a decision that only they can make, let's hope this is the right decision.