Ethiopia Makes Progress on the Nile Dam Project

By learning how to cooperate, Ethiopia may be one step closer to realizing its dream of finishing construction on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. On Dec. 29, Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan signed the "Khartoum document," an agreement on the terms of moving forward with the problematic venture. While the agreement is by no means a final resolution, it is notable that Ethiopia has shown more willingness to compromise by signing it, thereby agreeing to technical negotiations that could lead to a consensus with countries further downstream on the Nile River. By cooperating in negotiations and holding back on diverting Nile River water into a planned reservoir, Ethiopia will also have an easier time finding foreign investment to complete the dam, which has Egypt concerned about the safety of its water supply. ...