| | This article raises questions about the future prospects for the economic and political transition in Eritrea today, for peace and cooperation in the Horn and for the 'nation-state' in Africa. It does this against the historical background of an illegally federated state and 30 years of armed struggle leading to an EPLF victory and the 1993 referendum. Discusses: Historical background; Patterns of strategic convergence and national divergence; Mapping the future; Economic rehabilitation; Political structuring; Regional cooperation. |