For the second time in two years, Ethiopia has declared a state of emergency to try to quell violent unrest. The declaration on Feb. 16 came a day after the prime minister resigned over the turmoil, but it served only to create more protests nationwide and calls from opposition lawmakers for a new government. (The prime minister will remain in a caretaker role until parliament names a new premier, which will not take place until a planned parliamentary session in March or April.) Ethiopia has been periodically embroiled in political chaos since mid-2016, but it appears now to be approaching a climax. This in itself is not hugely meaningful geopolitically, but it could open the largest country in the strategically important Horn of Africa to a global competition for influence.
