Leadership Quote by Jack Kingston

Calling Ethiopian democracy "in its infancy" is a classic politician’s metaphor: soothing, paternal, and quietly self-exonerating. Infancy implies fragility, inevitability, and a long runway. It frames democracy not as a hard-won demand from citizens but as a developmental project managed from above. That choice of image matters. If democracy is a baby, then leaders become guardians rather than subjects of democratic constraint. Accountability softens into caretaking.

The line’s real work happens in the second clause: "it must be nurtured along by its leaders". Nurtured suggests patience and guidance, but it also smuggles in control. In practice, governments that describe democracy as immature often use the language of protection to justify postponing pluralism: restrictions on opposition, press limits, security-first governance. The subtext is less "people should have power now" than "power will be granted responsibly later". It’s a timeline that conveniently sits in the hands of those already in office.

Context sharpens the stakes. Ethiopia’s modern political history is marked by swings between authoritarian rule, revolutionary promises, and contested liberalization. Western policymakers, especially U.S. politicians, have frequently balanced democracy talk with strategic concerns: counterterrorism, regional stability, aid relationships. Kingston’s phrasing fits that diplomatic register, praising the ideal while avoiding any concrete demands.

It’s also a tidy way to distribute blame. If democracy fails, the culprit is its youth, not the choices of incumbents or the pressures of foreign partners. The metaphor makes delay sound like prudence, and power sound like stewardship.