Ethiopia.

Ethiopia's foreign policy balances its traditional role as an African diplomatic leader with pragmatic engagement across global powers. The country maintains strong economic ties with China, which has been the primary financier of Ethiopian infrastructure (including the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway), while also preserving a security partnership with the United States and development relationships with the EU.

The GERD dispute dominates Ethiopian diplomacy with the Arab world, as Egypt views the dam as an existential threat to its water supply. Ethiopia insists on its sovereign right to develop the Nile and has resisted binding international arbitration, preferring African-led negotiations through the AU. The 2024 BRICS membership signals Ethiopia's growing orientation toward multilateral alternatives to Western-dominated institutions.