'In Third World Colonialism and Strategies of Liberation, Awet Tewelde Weldemichael narrates the experiences of these remarkable but often under-appreciated nationalist movements during struggles against both primary (European) and secondary (regional) colonial powers with a rare combination of laser-like precision and contextual breadth and depth that brings them alive and renders them comprehensible on their own terms. The unique strength ... Read moreof this work lies in the details he has ferreted out from key actors and informants, much of it available for the first time, that gives them both texture and density. In doing so, he provides us with one of the most clear and compelling accounts so far on not one but two intensely complex but vitally important political events, traditionally treated as isolated anomalies.' Dan Connell, author of Against All Odds: A Chronicle of the Eritrean Revolution 'Awet Tewelde Weldemichael's Third World Colonialism and Strategies of Liberation … is a well-conceived and brilliantly written comparative analysis of the colonial resistance of two Third World wars of national liberation that were fought not against powerful European or Asian colonialists, but against hegemonic states in their own regions. The book is based on extensive fieldwork and careful historical-political analysis of a subject that is often ignored, and is a welcome addition to the field of comparative historical analysis.' Edmond J. Keller, University of California, Los Angeles 'Awet Tewelde Weldemichael has written an excellent history of two liberation struggles: Eritrea's and East Timor's. The two stories make for absorbing and instructive reading by anyone interested in twentieth-century liberation movements. The detailed discussion of the similarities and differences between the Eritrean and East Timorese liberation struggles provides fascinating case studies for history and comparative study buffs. The study re-examines the premise of previously held theories and views on the power tactics and strategies of survival of local groups engaged in a life-and-death struggle, as well as what kind of political system emerges as a result, and to what extent the armed struggle shapes these systems. In that sense, this study makes a significant contribution to historical and political studies.' Bereket Habte Selassie, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Show Less