Roy Pateman traces the Eritreans' response to Ethiopian occupation of their land and the origins of the war. He provides a survey of Eritrean history, with a special inside look at the military and other developments in the last two decades. Pateman examines the impact of U.S. foreign policy on the region and the people, the political ideologies of the independence movement, the tragic famine which took lens of thousands of lives, and the vision of the liberation fighters for a post-independence society.

The book has been updated to provide readers with an insight into developments of the post-independence period.