WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Friday released the following statement after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Abiy Ahmed, the prime minister of Ethiopia:

“This is a bright spot in what feels like an increasingly unstable world. In the two decades since Africa’s deadliest border war, Ethiopia and Eritrea have remained on a war footing. Hopes for peace have been distant, but Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed defied the odds by restarting talks with Eritrea when he came into office. He also took welcome steps toward domestic reforms, like releasing jailed journalists and opening up civil society. This is well-deserved recognition for a leader who took a risk on diplomacy and sets an example for other leaders to choose peace and democratic reform. The United States should be whole-heartedly applauding these efforts and supporting more steps in this direction, including a resolution of the Aswan Dam dispute,” said Murphy.

This week, Murphy penned a piece in the Atlantic proposing a new framework for progressive foreign policy. Last month, Murphy proposed this new framework for progressive foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. In this speech, Murphy discussed four concrete ideas for how progressives can close the perceived national security gap with Republicans and maintain America’s role in the world. Murphy is also the author of “Rethinking the Battlefield,” a comprehensive road map for rebuilding our foreign policy in order to keep pace with the global challenges we face.

 

###