Abstract Eritrea’s emergence from Italian colonial rule and its subsequent detachment from Ethiopia produced one of Africa’s most militarized and least economically viable states. The country’s hermit nature contradicts its dependence on external patronage, and its use of militarization as a tool of governance reflects the unfinished legacy of partition and state formation in the Horn of Africa. This article traces Eritrea’s evolution from the Italian occupation to the authoritarian consolidation under Isaias Afwerki, examining the historical, economic, and geopolitical conditions that have rendered the state unsustainable. It concludes that a pragmatic confederation between Ethiopia and Eritrea—anchored in shared sovereignty,…