Abysinia successfully fights off Italy in the 1930's, and is not gassed and bombed into submission.
When WW2 starts and Italy joins the war, Abysinia joins the Allies and helps fight the Italians and then the Germans in Africa. Using the Lend-Lease Act, they get support from the United States and develop a more modern, though largely infantry army. They provide a small but noticable force throughout the war.
After the war they are recognized for their role as a small but effective independent African force. To show how the UN is truly different from the European controlled organizations of the past, Abysinia is offered a seat in the security council as the leading light and a role model for the African Continent.
How does that sound?