Category Archives: Military

Alea Jacta Est

This blog takes no pleasure in vindication of earlier posts that Putin was serious about engulfing Ukraine “heim ins Reich” (see: Na Zapad—Westward Ho!) or the limp attempts to curb the sewer of Russian kleptocrat money sloshing around London (see … Continue reading

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History Repeating Itself?

For weeks now, Vladimir Putin and his spokespersons have been protesting that Russia has no intentions of invading Ukraine. Though it may just be grandstanding to get Western attention—and perhaps a few concession—by playing the only face card he has; … Continue reading

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На Запад! (Westward Ho!)

Squeezed between Boris Johnson gaffes and cost-of-living crises, finally UK media led with dignitaries meeting in Geneva to talk turkey over growing tension between Russia and Ukraine. This shows this matter might now receive the level of attention it merits. … Continue reading

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Droning On

Standing less than 2m tall, Boeing’s ScanEagle looks more like something you would find at the local model aero club than anything threatening. But this unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)—also known as a drone—has become a front-line weapon in the War … Continue reading

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An Unspoken Reason Behind 9/11—Part III

Diplomacy by Other Means “You may fight in the cause of Allah against those who attack you, but do not aggress. Allah does not love the aggressors.” —Qur’an, 2:190 That complacency changed in September 11th 2001 when in a well prepared … Continue reading

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The Two Trillion Dollar Tragedy III

On the Laws of Engineering A mere four days after the first part of this article was published, the tally of Afghan provincial capitals taken by the Taliban has tripled to nine—a full quarter of the total—and some 65% of … Continue reading

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The Two Trillion Dollar Tragedy II

On The Conquest of Quagmires Two days on, and three more provincial capitals in Afghanistan have fallen to the Taliban. None of these is from  the strategic trio of Herat, Khandahar or Jalalabad in the news over the weekend, Instead, … Continue reading

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The Two Trillion Dollar Tragedy I

On Lessons from Afvietmaliastan Readers un search of an upbeat and inspirational read are advised not to read on. These few hundred words are an attempt to place the slow car crash that is Afghanistan in context. If you are … Continue reading

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Gunboat Idiocy

On June 23rd, H.M.S. Defender of the Royal Navy, sailed from the Ukrainian port of Odessa on passage to the Georgian port of Batumi. This would take it across the Black Sea, covering 1,000 km from Northwest to Southeast. To … Continue reading

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Overlord? Over-hyped

Today (June 6th) marks the 77th anniversary of D-Day, the invasion of Occupied Europe by the Western Allies, who subsequently fought their way across France, Belgium and into the heart of Germany to bring the Second World War to an … Continue reading

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