This article examines Regional Hegemony and Smaller States: Ethiopia's Dominance and Its Discontents in the Horn: Perspectives from Eastern Africa with a focused emphasis on Ethiopia within the field of African Studies. It is structured as a theoretical framework article that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.