A media analysis of the applied soft-power mechanisms in the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and how these contributed to a changing power balance in the Blue Nile River

Abstract

The Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project has evolved to a heavily politicized case over the last decade. The project originally designed to supply Ethiopia’s households with electricity is now the middle of a diplomatic warfare between Egypt and Ethiopia. Egypt, in history, was considered as the hegemon in the Nile Basin and had developed multiple political instruments to remain in this position. However, this hegemony has become unstable and the case of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is considered to be an influential case on the balance of power relations between the two countries. This thesis aims to identify how Egypt and Ethiopia utilize soft-power mechanisms in the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, and how these contribute to a changing power balance in the Blue Nile River. The research makes use of a media analysis of the Daily News Egypt, The Egyptian Independent, The Addis Fortune and the Ethiopian News Agency to identify these soft power mechanisms. The research shows that Ethiopia established “facts on the ground” in the disputed case and effectively used counter-frames and bargaining power strategies to counter Egyptian hegemony.