Foreword by Christopher Clapham
Introduction
National/Military Service in Africa: Theories and Concepts
The Government and the Structure of the Eritrean Defence Force
The Nature of the ENS and its Effectiveness as a Fighting Force
The ENS as a Mechanism for Preserving and Transmitting the Core Values of the Liberation Struggle
The Eritrean National Service: A Vehicle for National Unity and Cohesion
The Eritrean National Service and Forced Equality
The Overarching Impact of the ENS on the Social Fabric of Eritrean Society
Impact of the Open-Ended ENS on Families and Conscripts
Conclusion

GAIM KIBREAB retired as Professor of Research and Director of Refugee Studies, School of Law and Social Science, London South Bank University in 2021. He is the author of Eritrea: A Dream Deferred (James Currey, 2009), People on the Edge in the Horn (James Currey, 1996) and The Eritrean National Service (2017).