A Nation Divided from the Sea: The Injustice of Ethiopia's Red Sea Exclusion Ethiopia, the world’s most populous landlocked nation, was once a revered maritime power. How did an ancient Red Sea civilization become severed from its own coastline, and why does this 19th-century amputation remain the single greatest threat to its 21st-century survival? In this groundbreaking and definitive work, Ambassador Ewnetu Bilata Debela presents a sweeping historical and geopolitical analysis of Ethiopia’s quest for the sea. Moving beyond a simple narrative of colonial loss, A Nation Divided from the Sea argues that the Red Sea crisis is a profound and enduring injustice—a geopolitical straitjacket that costs the nation billions annually, cripples its economic potential, and compromises its national sovereignty. The book masterfully traces the arc of this dispossession: The Ancient Lifeline: Reclaiming Ethiopia’s identity as an Aksumite thalassocracy and Red Sea power. - The Colonial Severance: Unpacking the diplomatic and military machinations that surgically amputated the coast. - The Strategic Abdication: Revealing the catastrophic 20th-century leadership failures that cemented landlocked status. - The Modern Crisis: Diagnosing the desperate, high-stakes diplomacy and internal paralysis that define today’s search for access. More than a history, this is a urgent diagnosis of a national emergency. The author posits that the Red Sea question acts as a mirror, reflecting Ethiopia’s internal contradictions—where political fragmentation and elite myopia have consistently thwarted a coherent maritime policy. Yet, this is ultimately a work of solution-oriented statecraft. Rejecting the paths of military force and unilateral brinksmanship, the book concludes with a bold, visionary framework for peaceful redemption. It proposes a concrete “Marshall Plan for the Horn,” centered on regional diplomacy, economic integration, and a groundbreaking “Grand Bargain” to reconcile historic right with modern sovereignty. Provocative, meticulously researched, and passionately argued , A Nation Divided from the Sea is an essential read for anyone seeking to understand the past, present, and future of the Horn of Africa. It is a landmark study that redefines the debate and charts a course not just to the water’s edge, but toward a new national destiny. Keywords: Ethiopia, Red Sea, Geopolitics, Horn of Africa, Landlocked Nations, Eritrea, Diplomacy, Aksum, Colonialism, UNCLOS, Maritime Access, Economic Integration.