Revolution, civil wars, and guerilla warfare wracked Ethiopia during three turbulent decades at the end of the 20th century. Here, Tareke brings to life the leading personalities in the domestic political struggles, strategies of the warring parties international actors, and key battles.

Why is the Horn such a distinctive part of Africa? This book, by one of the foremost scholars of the region, traces this question through its exceptional history and also probes the wildly divergent fates of the Horn’s contemporary nation-states, despite the striking regional particularity inherited from the colonial past. Christopher Clapham explores how the Horn’s peculiar topography gave rise to the Ethiopian empire, the sole African state not only to survive European colonialism, but also to participate in a colonial enterprise of its own. Its impact on its neighbours, present-day Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia and Somaliland, created a region very different from that of post-colonial Africa. This dynamic has become all the more distinct since 1991, when Eritrea and Somaliland emerged from the break-up of both Ethiopia and Somalia. Yet this evolution has produced highly varied outcomes in the region’s constituent countries, from state collapse (and deeply flawed reconstruction) in Somalia, through militarised isolation in Eritrea, to a still fragile ‘developmental state’ in Ethiopia. The tensions implicit in the process of state formation now drive the relationships between the once historically close nations of the Horn.

The first field guide to the birds of this varied and fascinating region and a companion to Birds of East Africa by two of the same authors.

Winner of a 2020 James Beard Foundation Book Award in the International category Ethiopia stands as a land apart: never colonised, the country celebrates and preserves ancient traditions. The fascinating cuisine is enriched with the different religious influences of Judaism, Christianity and Islam - a combination unique to Africa. The delicious dishes featured are Doro Wat, chicken slowly stewed with berbere spice, Yeassa Alichia, curried fish stew, and Siga Tibs, flashfried beef cubes, as well as a wealth of vegetarian dishes such as Gomen, minced collard greens with ginger and garlic and Azifa, green lentil salad. Chef Yohanis takes the reader on a journey through all the essential dishes of his native country, including the traditional Injera made from the staple grain teff and synonymous with an Ethiopian feast, along the way telling wondrous stories of the local communities and customs. Complete with photography of the country's stunning landscapes and vibrant artisans, this book demonstrates why Ethiopian food should be considered as one of the world's greatest, most enchanting cuisines.

There are many books on individual countries of the Horn, but this one is unique in treating the region as a whole, stressing interactions among as well as within Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia and, in turn, their relations with neighbouring regions of Africa and the Middle East. The author summarizes the history of the region from earliest times to the 19th century and then concentrates on Russian and American involvements.