A transcript of a radio broadcast by Colour Sergeant (as he was at the time) Bourne DCM of the defence of Rorke’s Drift.

The Obama Administration does not believe intelligence assessments that Iran has stopped its nuclear weapon program.

The murderous Assad hereditary regime is being rehabilitated.

About the principle of protection (pdf) in ( Read more... )

On longbows. On arrowheads. On bows.

Performance tests of a Japanese WWII tank.

Wondering why victory in the Cold War is not talked about more. (The 20th anniversary of the 1989 revolutions is coming up.)

What do you get for winning a quiz in Somalia?
The winners -- a team from Farjano district -- were given a first prize consisting of one AK- ( Read more... )

The UN will be teaching Gazan school children about the Holocaust.

The wars on women in Afghanistan and Congo:
Democratizing Afghanistan would require something else, something far deeper and, frankly, more dangerous and more threatening: a revolution in intimate relations ( Read more... )

About real Jewish WWII commandos: Of course they haven’t seen the film, which opens later this month, but what they hate is the premise that Jewish soldiers would hunt for scalps or bludgeon prisoners with a baseball bat.

Casualty figures for the Japanese Army in various Pacific War campaigns with Stalingrad for comparison. Looking at problems ( Read more... )

Paul Romer’s idea of charter cities (at outlined in his TED talk here) has a certain wry amusement value for any medievalist, since “charter cities” is simply a variation on how medieval rulers created cities as economic hubs. The notion was, quite straightforwardly, to create the situation where economic activity could take place that would not ( Read more... )

A man who earned a Medal of Honor on 7 December 1941 has turned 100.

The French Army causes a tiny bit of an oops in military exercises.

About a British-based militant group banned in Pakistan which wants to impose sharia law on everyone, everywhere. The highly educated jihadi behind the Marriot bombings hates Australia.

Hamas has announced it ( Read more... )

About the risk of failed states and great power competition.

Mathematically modelling insurgent, counter-insurgent and military dynamics.

Being less than thrilled at President Obama’s characterisation of the Cold War.

In Honduras, report than computers have been seized with election results for a constitutional referendum that has not happened. ( Read more... )

About the unrest among Uighurs in China’s far West.

UK PM offers to cut nuclear capability for deal with “rogue” states.

Honduras as a manifestation of the Chavez model. Noting parallels with the political situation in the Philippines.

Wide-ranging interview with Robert Kaplan on the brutality of the Sri Lankan government’s win over the Tamil ( Read more... )

Militias and families are killing gay Iraqis, while same-sex prostitution is also reported to be on the rise.

Iowa’s Supreme Court voids same-sex marriage ban. Where the politics of marriage sits in the US. Arguing that opponents of same-sex marriage have, in public, a sensibility rather than an idea.

Amusing post on same-sex marriage that has ( Read more... )

A model for “population-centred’ warfare (pdf).

A senior Japanese military officer raises the possibility of Japan acquiring nuclear weapons. A former US Defence Secretary wants a viable military option against North Korea. Noting that Iran will be watching.

Sri Lankan army achieves final success against Tamil Tigers by relentless, coordinated ( Read more... )