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Thread: Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you “A Study in Sanctimony” by Robert Malley. Let’s chat about the self-serving bullshit here… https://www.crisisgroup.org/content/why-crisis-group-calls-inclusive-dialogue-ethiopia
This is cute. It neatly skips over the history of previous negotiations. And note the “potential bloodbath, which did not occur”…!
For inexplicable reasons, Malley then quotes Hailemariam’s piece but offers no real counter to it.
Instead, Malley explains his group’s mandate. This line is telling: “We did not believe the bar was met.”
To which I would ask politely (clears throat, ahem)--
Just who the f—do you think you are???
To which I would ask politely (clears throat, ahem)--
Just who the f—do you think you are???
Now there is a genuine need for humanitarian organizations that can sincerely help countries in the developing world. But they are not the arbiters of the morality of state policy, ESPECIALLY when they can produce little to no evidence of their more severe accusations.
We still don’t have all the facts about the conflict, the conduct of either side, but this whole column amounts to you thinking you should get a pass for whatever panicky statement you toss out there. You set the bar and then judge others? Who holds you accountable then? 
This is my favorite: You’re “relieved.” Because you’ve just been exposed for shooting your mouths off without having all the facts and making irresponsible predictions. The charge isn’t you’re “cautious.” It's that you're clueless.
By what right do you get to assume the worst?
By what right do you get to assume the worst?
You also have to wonder if racism is indeed a factor here. Because it was an African leader and an African country, the presumption was for a “catastrophe” that you now acknowledge hasn’t “materialized.”
Only you don’t. And your guy IS partisan...
Or did you forget this little gem? https://twitter.com/wdavison10/status/1326792840375099392
Enlighten me here. So if his writings "express the views... of Crisis Group as a whole," this is your official position for Ethiopia? Forsake its own languages and adopt English? https://twitter.com/wdavison10/status/1315660170865893376
When your guy carried on a very ugly, personal feud in public with @awolallo, “right or wrong,” that’s his collective analysis and level of professionalism that you’re proud of, is it?
https://www.facebook.com/william.davison.33/posts/10158503245505792
https://www.facebook.com/william.davison.33/posts/10158503245505792
So I’d love to know, if he works for you, why is he running Ethiopia Insight? That’s “journalism” – his form of it anyway. Which is quite a conflict of interest with being an activist for your org. https://www.ethiopia-insight.com/
How about this? The tradition of “Letters to the Editor” is to let the writer, even if he’s a jerk, have the last word. Your defender of “all sides” attacks the person. But go on, tell me how this is nonpartisan and for Crisis Group. https://twitter.com/wdavison10/status/1313554497680084994
When your analyst misrepresented his intentions, pretending he wanted to have me publish with his website but used the DM to lecture me on how I quote from the Guardian, that was your organization talking? You go around policing others’ commentaries?
And when he acts like a jackass in a direct communication to a complete stranger, that’s Crisis Group talking? Just want to be clear. His ploy, BTW, is one of the sleaziest, most unethical things I’ve ever seen.
This is your guy, Crisis Group. This is how he represents himself and conducts himself as a professional. Happy to share the full conversation with you.
Your column here casts him as an NGO/journalism “hero” booted out over his writings. But I happen to think many should wonder just how much his own professional and personal behavior contributed to his deportation.
