Chapter 12: Eritrea: The Future of Africa that Works contrasts the historical colonialist and nationalist narratives, on the one hand, and the official and dissenting perspectives within the nationalist narrative, on the other. It contends that Eritrea’s record has not borne out the optimism of sympathetic observers, like Abdulrahman Babu, that independent Eritrea would deliver democratic development and prosperity where other African states had failed. The chapter asserts that the regime has not lived up to the progressive goals of the struggle and the ideals of the freedom fighters that animated Babu’s enthusiasm. It admits that, far from representing the future of Africa that works, Eritrea manifests the authoritarian features of the prototype African state, with its attendant crises of legitimacy, delivery and relevance.