Last month, William Hague sprung a surprise visit to the independence celebrations of South Sudan in Juba, joining a host of international dignitaries and celebrities. While the prospects for Africa's 54th nation look decidedly mixed, optimism remains high; the same optimism that has delivered a political settlement to a country riven by generations of ethnic and religious hatred. So will the advent of independence deliver peace and prosperity for the peoples of this new state?
Let's hope the leaders of this new republic take a look at nearby Eritrea, the last African state to be born. There are some striking parallels.
Eritrea is a forgotten country in the rough neighbourhood of North East Africa. Following 50 years of colonial rule by the Italians, the British were entrusted to administer Eritrea in 1941 before it was 'federated' with Ethiopia under a UN sponsored deal in 1952. Like South Sudan, Eritrea was cajoled into a coalition with an historical foe.
As a nation with little capacity to govern itself, federation with Ethiopia was seen as a progressive 'African' solution.
However, as the junior partner in the federation, Eritrea's fortunes declined with the aggrandisement of the Emperor. Desperate for greater access to its mineral wealth, Ethiopia annexed Eritrea in 1962 - and the world took little notice. With a military base outside Asmara, the Eritrean capital, the US had little interest in interfering in the affairs of a loyal ally at the height of the Cold War scramble for Africa.
Consequently, Eritreans embarked on a bitter 30 year war against Ethiopia successfully securing its right for full independence in 1991.
As with South Sudan, the early signs indicated a rosy future, but under the Presidency of Isaias Afwerki, the former rebel leader who became the country's first - and only - head of state, Eritrea has become an authoritarian regime.
Afwerki's People's Front for Democracy and Justice is the only political party in Eritrea; other political groups are not allowed to organize, although the unimplemented Constitution of 1997 provides for the existence of multi-party politics. National elections have been periodically scheduled and cancelled; none have ever been held in the country.
It's the only African country to have no privately owned media whatsoever. In the 2010 Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders classified the media environment in Eritrea at 178 out of 178, ranking lower than North Korea.
A recent report by the International Crisis Group (ICG) states that Eritrea "has become a siege state, whose government is suspicious of its own population, neighbours and the wider world".
Why? The explanation lies in the militarism and authoritarianism of the region's violent past and, specifically, Eritrea's 30-year war of independence which defines the nation's political culture today. In summary, the former rebel commander-turned President's rule is centred on an obedient national unity and the notion that Eritrea is surrounded by enemies.
Explaining this psychology, Michaela Wrong, one of Eritrea's best chroniclers, says that "The expectation of betrayal can both create an extraordinary inner strength and distort a national psyche, sending a community down strange and lonely paths".
The optimism and hope expressed by South Sudan's independence will need to be supported by a long process of capacity building to ensure the appetite for discipline among former rebel leaders-turned politicians are kept in check. The foundations of a pluralist society will be established, no doubt, with international support but can be easily removed once the UN sponsored governance advisors have gone home.
Eritrea secured independence amidst great jubilation only to be ignored by the outside world and buffeted by the ongoing instability in the Horn of Africa. Let's hope that the Republic of South Sudan isn't forgotten by international (especially African) partners in the coming months and years. It would be a tragedy to see the hard-won gains of independence to be undermined by foreign interference or the behaviours of the incoming political elites.
As an old Eritrean proverb reminds us "When dreams are shattered, they itch like scabies on the buttocks".