September 10, 2006: Apparently Eritrean President Isaias is sinking deeper into paranoia. Although he hasn't sacked anyone, his cabinet is apparently totally out of the loop when it comes to making decisions. He relies completely on an inner-circle of family members and old military and political cronies from the days of "The Revolution" and the border war with Ethiopia. He's still cagey enough to avoid open war with Ethiopia, but that could change at any time.
This is an example of how a national leader, who is mentally unbalanced, but still together enough to stay in power, can create a lot of trouble, and a potentially huge body count. Isaias could start another war with Ethiopia, but that might cause his own generals, not to mention much of the population, to rebel. Meanwhile, Isaias gets to meddle in Somalia and Sudan. Then there's the rampant corruption and mismanagement that has impoverished the entire nation.
One man can make a difference, but not always for the better.