For reasons I never understood, however, Frazer reversed course and asked in early February [2006] to reopen the 2002 EEBC decision, which she had concluded was wrong, and award a major piece of disputed territory to Ethiopia. I was at a loss to explain that to the Security Council, so I didn't .” Pg. 347.

Of course, Ambassador Bolton is referring to Jendayi Frazer, Assistant Secretary for African Affairs. The 2002 Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) Decision is the “final and binding” decision of the impartial Boundary Commission set by the Security Council with a mandate to delimit and demarcate the Eritrea-Ethiopia border. Bolton , a man known for his straight talk, is telling us he was too embarrassed to relay Frazer's illegal and ill-conceived intentions to the Security Council. We are not aware whether he had expressed his reservations to Frazer that a great country as the US should not try to circumvent international law because that is precisely what she was asking him to do.

Of course there is nothing new about the revelations. Frazer's brazen attempt to dictate the EEBC to modify its ruling is too well known. Either through malice or incompetence, Jendayi Frazer has been acting as a one-woman wrecking crew, yet no one in authority seems to have told her to stop. Because of Jendayi Frazer's destructive interference, the border remains far from demarcated, and the EEBC check-mated, unable to move.

Let's make it clear, the two parties that are to blame for the delay of the demarcation of the Eritrea-Ethiopia border are: the U.S. for encouraging and advising Ethiopia to refuse unconditional demarcation, and the UN for its unwillingness to shoulder its responsibility and confront Ethiopia 's five-year-long refusal. As a result both the U.S. and the UN have become part of the problem rather than helping solve the problem.

Of course the U.S. has never been an impartial or unbiased party when it comes to issues pertaining Eritrea and Ethiopia. U.S. transgressions, going back to the end of Word War II, are numerous and its actors too many to list them all. However, the current U.S. Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Jendayi Frazer, stands out as unique for her venomous attack on Eritrea and for her see-through bias in favor of Ethiopia. Though Frazer's naked support for Ethiopia was evident to Eritreans, now thanks to John Bolton, her skimpy see-through cover has been blown.

Why did Bolton, a man known for his conservative and extreme right-wing political views, fail to understand Frazer's reversal of course? Why was this hawkish diplomat (a person who doesn't care about anything else but U.S. interests no matter what), at a loss to explain Frazer's stand to the Security Council? He knew well Frazer's stand instead of helping U.S. interest is sabotaging it.

Not only on the Eritrea-Ethiopia issue, Frazer's policy on the Horn of Africa in general has been an absolute failure; take your pick, there is no exception, be it Darfur, Somalia, or the Ogaden. Not only does Frazer's policy for the region lacks a clear durable vision and credible sustainable strategy, but it is also being carried in an underhanded way that in the long term it is neither for the interest of the United States, nor for peace and stability of the region. It is also severely sabotaging the U.S. war against global terrorism. In short, everything she does is throwing U.S. policy in a mess.

Even now, two years after her scheme was rejected, she is trying to deceive the U.S. public and the world. Look how she tried to cover her policy blunder in her August 17, 2007 briefing:

“We did get forward motion because we brought Ethiopia back to the table. Ethiopia had refused to go to the commission before. We brought them back to the table. We got Meles to say that he would accept a delimitation decision without conditions. But we lost Eritrea . Eritrea then walked away from the boundary commission discussions…. Our diplomatic effort stalled when we suggested that there be satellite technology, to look at how decisions on the demarcation of that border would affect the local communities. … Eritrea felt that that might be trying to undo the delimitation decision.”

Eritrea was not only feeling that Frazer was undoing the delimitation decision, Eritrea knew well Frazer's attempt was to undo the Decision. John Bolton has now confirmed it that her intention was indeed to “ reopen the 2002 EEBC decision, which she had concluded was wrong.” Is there any wonder then why Eritrea rejected Frazer's proposal, the proposal that attempted to undo the delimitation decision? Besides, if saying “the EEBC Decision is wrong and has to be reopened” is not undoing the Decision, then what is? Frazer should know that final is final, and binding is binding.

Furthermore, Frazer wants to take pride of bringing “ Ethiopia back to the table.” Did she bring Ethiopia back to the EEBC Decision, or she promised Ethiopia she will change the EEBC ruling to Ethiopia 's taste? What was the aim of her attempt to impose a consultant on the Commission? What was Ethiopia going to get in return for “coming to the table?” A “reopening of the EEBC Decision”? What about the content of her “satellite technology” map that she and General Fulford tried to introduce at an EEBC meeting the spring of 2006? What was in that map? Could it be the map Bolton is referring to as designed to “award a major piece of disputed territory to Ethiopia?” Wasn't it also to undo the Decision that General Fulford “rather unwisely, wrote to Eritrea 's Legal Counsel that he was seeking operational latitude to shift the boundary by about 1Km?”

It is clear that Frazer is colluding with the very same people who are destroying the Horn of Africa: the warlords of Ethiopia and Somalia, but more importantly she is sabotaging U.S. long-term interest in the region. For reasons none of us can understand, she is willing to sacrifice an entire region and population in order to keep the criminals of Addis in power. Moreover, Frazer's talk of fighting terrorism by propping up a terrorist regime in Ethiopia is akin to forging an alliance with narcotraffickers to get rid of drugs.

It is also becoming clear why Frazer is threatening Eritrea with a designation of “State Sponsor of Terrorism” and calling for a “regime change” in Eritrea. It is all in retaliation to Eritrea's refusal to allow her to “undo the delimitation decision”, but more importantly in retaliation to Eritrea's refusal to march to her orders. In other words, Jendayi Frazer is threatening to use the United States power for her personal vendetta. She is brandishing a superpower's might to boost her deflated ego.

In short, whatever skimpy cover Frazer thought she had has been blown off by her own man, John Bolton. As a process her naked intent is now out for everyone to see. The question is for how long is this incompetent person going to be allowed to bungle U.S. policy? Isn't it time Congress pay a much closer attention to the mess she has created across the continent in general but the Horn of Africa in particular? The US came into the process as an impartial mediator, but has ended as a facilitator to Ethiopia's intransigence. How sad.