Fourteen years ago, Eritrea, a tiny African country on the Red Sea, bested the larger army of neighboring Ethiopia and became independent. It seemed to offer Africa a blueprint for change–debt-free, corruption-free and ready to rebuild.
Five years later the promise of what Eritrea might have become was gone. It is now locked in permanent military alert because of a border dispute with Ethiopia, it’s in the midst of an economic crisis and drought.
In her new book, “I Didn’t Do It For You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation” journalist Michela Wrong looks back at the history of Eritrea, and how it mirrors the battered story of the continent–colonial exploitation, Cold War manipulation and decades of armed conflict.
Guests:
Michela Wrong, author of “I Didn’t Do It For You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation.”