AFRICOM Cultural Awareness Knowledge Center

Examining US involvement in the Horn of Africa, this volume addresses the relationship between the US and the Islamic movement in this region. Peter Woodward brings a unique perspective to the ongoing debate over US policy in the Islamic world which will be of interest to those studying foreign policy, and peace, security and conflict issues.

This region, comprising Ethiopia, Sudan and now South Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti and Eritrea, and stretching to include Kenya and Uganda, is a pivotal geopolitical pressure point in world politics. It stands at the hinge of Africa and the Middle East. It was of vital interest to the superpowers during the Cold War and remains, in the post-Cold War period, a key area in international relations and a major source of mineral wealth, while its sufferings have been described as a scar on the conscience of humanity. But seemingly endemic political chaos, failed states, terrorism and international piracy have dealt a death blow to the ambitions of the US and her allies in the international community to further a New World Order of liberal democracy. Peter Woodward's book is essential reading for Africa and international relations specialists, including policy planners.

The greater part of Eritrea's modern history is characterized by conflicts that have severely damaged an economy based largely on subsistence agriculture. Economic woes have been exacerbated by the recent implementation of restrictive economic policies. Today, few private enterprises remain in Eritrea, as the one-party government looks to the military and party-owned businesses to boost development.

This book is a comprehensive analysis of the country's political history over the past three decades. It examines the origins of Eritrean nationalism, and charts the development of its various nationalist movements, assessing the programmes and capabilities of the parties contending for power. It also analyses the regional and international context within which the battles for independence were fought.

Scarred by decades of conflict and occupation, the craggy African nation of Eritrea has weathered the world's longest-running guerrilla war. The dogged determination that secured victory against Ethiopia, its giant neighbor, is woven into the national psyche, the product of cynical foreign interventions. Fascist Italy wanted Eritrea as the springboard for a new, racially pure Roman empire; Britain sold off its industry for scrap; the United States needed a base for its state-of-the-art spy station; and the Soviet Union used it as a pawn in a proxy war.