Haile Selassie’s 1961 absorption of Eritrea emboldened his designs on Somalia.

Evidence

Ethiopia decided to pursue a military strategy that would ensure its dominance in the region. It used all necessary means to convince the United States and its allies to facilitate this agenda. Haile Selassie’s first achievement in this regard was the support he got from the West in illegally absorbing Eritrea in 1961. Regrettably, this gave him the false sense that his designs for Somalia might be realized. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 650