Recommended Reading.

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Rohen D. Kaplan. New York: Random House, 1988, 2003.

Originally published in 1988, Kuplan's first book was based on his travels in the Horn from 1984-1987. His reporting from two decades ago stands the test of time, particularly his dissection of the Ethiopian famine that Western aid tried to address (communist agricultural policies played a significant role), and his analysis of the despotic regime in power. Kaplan's December 2002 postscript from Eritrea complements other works with his insight into the mind of President Isaias Afewerki.

Michela Wrong. New York: Harper Collins, 2005.

Based on a serifs of trips into Erilrea. an Africa correspondent for the Londonbased Financial Times looks at how a series of colonial occupations â€" Italian, British, and Ethiopian â€" precipitated the Eritrean war for independence. She also examines how betrayals from both Cold War superpowers created a psyche of national isolation. In a fascinating, lewd chapter. Wrong interviews veterans of the U.S. Army's Kagnew Station, a Cold War listening post in Eritrea. Her narrative of the "Gross Guys" antics on liberty might even make veterans of Thailand's Pattaya Beach blush.

The Law of the Somalis: A Stable Foundation for Economic Development in the Horn of Africa, Michael van Notten, Trenton, NJ: Red Sea Press, 2005.

The most important book about Somalia that you've never heard of. Van Molten, 11 Dutch attorney and libertarian who was fluent in eight languages (including two Somali dialects), married into the Samaron clan and lived in Awdal, near Hargesia, for ten years. After van Notten died of heart failure in 2(X)2. a colleague edited his notes into this book. His most controversial and compelling claim is that the clan-based system of justice, what he calls "kritarchy," is both unsuitable for democracy and perfect for the modern free-market economy.

Battling Terrorism in the Horn of Africa, edited by Robert L. Rotberg. Washington D.C.: Brookings Institution, 2005,

Rotberg's collection of seven essays on the regions and nation-states that comprise the Horn outlines the foundation for much of CJTF-HOA's current strategic vision. For speed-readers, the four best are on Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Sudan. Of least significance is the essay on Eritrea, where the works previously cited provide stronger background and insight.

The Life of My Choice, Wilfred Thesiger. Glasgow: William Collins, 1987.

Two decades after T. E. Lawrence, Wilfred Thesiger captured the imaginations of a new generation of Britons with his writings and photojournalism from Arabia, and elsewhere in Asia, and Africa. Thesiger's works blend essay. travelogue and memoir with some of the best photography of 20th century Africa that exists. His books are out of print and hard to find, making his firsthand observations of life and travels on the Horn from pro-World War I to 1960 all the more enticing.

The fate of Africa: From the Hopes of Freedom to the Heart of Despair. Martin Meredith. New York: Perseus, 2005.

Meredith's magnum opus chronicles the movement of the African continent from post-World War II to the present day. The author takes readers from Algeria to Pretoria, and everywhere in between. Lucid and readable, this book tells (he story of the Horn, particularly Kenya, in the context of Africa's development over the past 50 years.

Where Soldiers Fear to Tread: A Relief Worker's Tale of Survival, John Burnett. New York: Bantam, 2005.

The next time someone chides you about the U.S. military's cultural ignorance, hand them a copy of this book. Burnett exposes the dark side of the aid industry in this searing memoir of U.N. incompetence when heavy rains flooded the Horn in 1997-1998. This book demonstrates why the U.S. military must remain prepared for humanitarian missions for decades to come. Young Sailors and Marines emerge, comparatively, as Ph.D.-level anthropologists.