Boko Haram releases majority of 110 kidnapped schoolgirls

Boko Haram releases majority of 110 kidnapped schoolgirls

Last month, Boko Haram took 110 schoolgirls hostage in Nigeria and almost all of them have been released in Dapchi, Nigeria, the town from which they were taken. Boko Haram was seen driving truckloads of the girls back into town and letting them go. Reports of the exact numbers are still coming in and discrepancies […]

The pitfalls of hyper-vigilance

The pitfalls of hyper-vigilance

“Whenever I sit down at McDonald’s, I scan for exits. I look for reflective surfaces so I can see all angles of all those who come and go. I figure out who might be the greatest threat, and I think of at least two weapons within reach that I could use to defend myself.” I’ve […]

ChVK Vagner mercenaries speak out about the nature of their work

ChVK Vagner mercenaries speak out about the nature of their work

Russian mercenaries with ChVK Vagner declared they are fighting in Syria for patriotic reasons, in a recent anonymous interview with RFE/RL news. One commander declared, “[Syrians] can’t stand Assad. Really. Only a tiny percentage of the population there supports him and the rest oppose him. Only [Russian President Vladimir] Putin supports him. Russia supports him — no […]

Kurdistan’s Counter Terror Group deployed to Kirkuk for Newroz

Kurdistan’s Counter Terror Group deployed to Kirkuk for Newroz

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s (PUK) Counter Terror Group (CTG), an elite Peshmerga unit, was sent to Kirkuk via an armed convoy yesterday. CTG will be accompanying fellow Peshmerga commando units participating in the Newroz celebration being held in Kirkuk, a disputed city controlled almost entirely by Iraq and Iranian backed militias. They are scheduled […]

Opinion: Remembering the good things

Opinion: Remembering the good things

These days it seems like everyone is in a perpetual state of dissatisfaction. Even compared to the Karen people, who live under the oppressive thumb of the Burmese government while surviving in an unforgiving jungle, I have rarely come across people more profoundly dissatisfied with their lives as Americans.  In fact, the Karen are among […]

On this day in history: The US invades Iraq

On this day in history: The US invades Iraq

Many of our readers fought in this war and don’t need a rundown of events, but as the days stretch on, it draws further and further away. Many of today’s youth may be too young to remember — today’s 18-year-olds were only three years old at the beginning of the war. On March 20, 2003, […]

Halabja victim speaks out

Halabja victim speaks out

While the Saddam-era regime is long gone, remnants of its victims still remain. Only eight months old, a small girl by the name of Maryam lost her identity to the Halabja chemical attack on the Kurds 30 years ago. Despite her quest to learn the truth behind her identity, her name and parents still remain […]

A brief eulogy for Stephen Hawking

A brief eulogy for Stephen Hawking

I would like to talk about the loss of a personal hero. Unlike most of the people I find exemplary, Professor Hawking never carried a rifle or participated in any kind of action. Nonetheless, he was one of the bravest people to be written down in history. Against all odds, not only did he survive […]