954 articles
London, United Kingdom—Despite urging from the United States, the British government is reluctant to repatriate two of its citizens who were high-profile members of the Islamic State (ISIS). Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh were part of a four-man team responsible with high-profile executions. Nicknamed as “The Beatles” because of their British accents, the group […]
“Actions are dictated by decisions, decisions are based on perceptions, and perceptions are subject to manipulation. That is the basis of the Perception Wars.” Alex Hollings’ Perception Wars describes how foreign governments are trying to shape American public opinion by manipulating their perceptions. Hollings singles out Russia and China and their ongoing information operations (IO) on […]
Istanbul, Turkey—Salah Muhammad al-Tubaigy, a Saudi doctor and forensics expert, is reportedly responsible for the death of the missing Saudi journalist and regime critic Jamal Khashoggi. On Oct. 2, Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and columnist for The Washington Post, vanished after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The Turkish government says that Khashoggi was murdered […]
Sydney, Australia—Wounded warriors from all-around the world will congregate in Australia for the 2018 Invictus Games. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul. […]
Brussels, Belgium—The European Union (EU) imposed a $5 billion fine to Google for violating antitrust regulations. Google is also banned from using its Android operating system because of its inherent blocking of rivals. EU Commissioner for Competition, Margrethe Vestager, said, “Google has used Android as a vehicle to cement the dominance of its search engine.” […]
Xinjiang, China—A play from the Nazi playbook or an honest effort to deal with extremism? The Chinese government has just legalized the use of concentration camps for Uighur Muslims. The camps have been erected in Xinjiang, a western region in China. Human rights organizations report that detainees are forced to renounce their faith and swear loyalty to […]
London, United Kingdom—Sir Craig Mackey, Scotland Yard’s Deputy Commissioner, locked himself in a car while a terrorist stabbed his colleague, Police Constable Keith Palmer, to death. The incident occurred last year outside the Houses of Parliament, in London. A radical Islamist, Khalid Masood, drove a car over pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, crashed the vehicle into the security […]
Cumbria, United Kingdom—Imagine taking your family for a lovely weekend excursion. You don’t get to do it often, being busy with work and the children slammed with schoolwork. But today is different. You get into the car and drive up to the countryside. The weather isn’t ideal, but it isn’t so bad that it will […]
Wales, United Kingdom—Exercise Cambrian Patrol: Is this the world’s toughest military exercise? Forty-eight hours. Over 40 miles across the arduous Brecon Beacons. Weather conditions: awful. Personal loads in the excess of 80 pounds. Who will win? Did I mention that Cambrian Patrol is an unofficial race? The annual exercise is organised by the 160th Infantry […]
Amman, Jordan—Always more comfortable in fatigues than in a suit and tie, King Abdullah spent 35 years in the military before he was crowned. As with many foreign royals, Abdullah was sent to Great Britain for his education. In 1980, he graduated from Sandhurst Royal Military Academy (the British Army’s West Point). As a newly […]
This year, Father Christmas is arriving quite early for some. Syria, India, and Turkey will all be receiving ‘boxes’ full of Russian goodies. The first has received the S-300 surface-to-air missile system. India and Turkey, on the other hand, have signed agreements for the more advanced S-400 anti-air missile system. But the background behind each […]
Europe—Terrorists have simultaneously struck seven different places across Europe. What do you do? That was the scenario for the ATLAS COMMON CHALLENGE 2018. Involving over 1,000 operators, this was Europe’s largest law enforcement SOF exercise to date. It took place 9-10 October. Coordinated by the ATLAS network, which was launched after the 9/11 attacks to […]