In this article I will discuss the recent history of Eritrea, its high level of corruption and material support to terrorist groups and its goals of destabilizing the government Ethiopia and the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG). Eritrea is a country that has, in the past and recently, experienced difficulties economically, militarily and also in maintaining good relations with its neighbors. The majority of its current problems date back to 1993, when the country declared formal independence from Ethiopia. This instability has led to conflict with the United States and allegations by the United Nations and several Western countries, including the United States, that Eritrea openly harbors and supports terrorist organizations. The Government of Eritrea (GOE) has been accused of everything from sheltering senior Al-Shabaab leaders to supplying weapons to Somali Islamic extremists. The main import groups that the Eritrean government is accused of supporting are Al-Shabaab in Somalia and its opposition group Hezb Al-Islam, both of which seek to destabilize the TFG in Somalia and establish an Islamic caliphate in the Horn of Africa. In addition, the Islamic Courts Movement (ICU) is also active in Eritrea and maintains links with Somalia. Eritrea has a violent history against Ethiopia and has fought several wars between the two countries, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths. Additionally, I will explain how instability in this region affects U.S. interests and how Eritrea's material support and attacks have affected U.S. interests in the region. To fully understand the modern conflict in Eritrea, I need to briefly cover the history of the country and the region. . Front......middle of document....../rls/irf/2009/127231.htmU.S. Department of State (2007) International Religious Freedom Report 2007 Retrieved from: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90096.htmU.S. Department of State (2010) Briefing Note: Eritrea Retrieved from: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2854.htmIRIN Humanitarian News and Analysis (2006) SOMALIA: Islamic Courts Create an advisory board Retrieved from: http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=59444Newsmax.com (2006) Somali activist calls for holy war against Ethiopia Retrieved from: http://archive.newsmax .com/archives/articles/2006/7/21/113509.shtmlBBC News (September 2007) Somali insurgents attack police Retrieved from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6994710. stmBlack Star News (2011) Towards African Revolutions: Eritrea Retrieved from: http://blackstarnews.com/news/135/ARTICLE/7186/2011-03-14.html