Annette Young is pleased to welcome Dr. Douglas Yates, Africa Specialist and Political Science Professor at the American Graduate School of International Relations and Diplomacy. Amid ongoing conflict, will Ethiopia’s elections be “free and fair”? While acknowledging that electoral procedures may function in parts of the country, he argues that conflict, exclusion, inflation, and uneven development remain the defining realities shaping Ethiopia’s political landscape. Dr. Yates also revisits the dramatic shift in perceptions of PM Abiy Ahmed since he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019. What was once celebrated as a moment of regional reconciliation has evolved into a far more complicated political reality shaped by internal rebellions and regional rivalries.