Military action was the root of the Spanish Flu pandemic in the early 20th century. Was it also the root of the COVID-19 pandemic? Coronavirus was an issue on many crowded Navy ships. These ships caused great consternation in places like Okinawa and Guam. Furthermore, aggression against China and Iran diverted resources from public health matters, at least according to …

A new report from Amnesty International accuses government security forces and its private contractor allies of committing atrocities in the fight against an intensifying Islamic insurgency. In support of this conclusion, the watchdog group cited a number of examples. Following a successful attack on Quissanga, government forces rounded up suspected ISIS sympathizers and summarily executed them, according to witnesses. DAG …

Two former PMCs who allegedly spirited a Nissan executive out of the island nation in a hollowed-out chest could spend the next three years in prison. Michael and Peter Taylor were the principals in the American National Security Corporation, an overseas military contractor that specializes in rapid, surreptitious exits. ANSC usually charged clients between $20,000 and $2 million for its …

Beau Biden succumbed to brain cancer shortly after he returned from JAG duty in Iraq. The President’s personal experience with the effects of burn pit smoke could lead to a sea change. The Veterans Administration estimates that about 3.5 million veterans were exposed to dangerous levels of burn pit smoke. Yet these bureaucrats usually tell victims that their illnesses are …

Ongoing instability in the troubled Caribbean nation reached an almost surreal high when an armed motorcycle gang converged on the Belize national soccer team. The Jaguars were in the Haitian capital to play a qualifying match for the 2022 World Cup Finals in Qatar. On the ride from the airport to the hotel, “an uproar of insurgents with assault rifles …

President Filipe Nyusi’s government recently agreed to allow Portugese troops to re-enter his country for the first time in decades, in order to help suppress a growing ISIS insurgency. How much longer will it be before American contractors are allied upon to protect American interests in this African nation? 2020 was a very bad year for Mozambican security forces. Rebels …

In 2019, the former Blackwater CEO illegally supported rebel leader Khalifa Haftar with weapons and contractors, according to a UN report. Allegedly, the $80 million agreement also called for the creation of a hit squad that would track down and kill Libyan leaders opposed to Haftar. Prince’s lawyer, Matthew Shwartz, denied all allegations. “Mr. Prince had no involvement in any …

There is ample anecdotal evidence about the ability of marijuana to alleviate anxiety and other Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms. Now, a team of researchers wants to find scientific proof. Under the auspices of the International Review Board, the nonprofit Battle Brothers Foundation, in cooperation with NiaMedic, will follow PTSD veterans in California who use cannabis for three months. Researchers …

Thousands of Cubans want cultural minister Alpidio Alonso to resign, after video surfaced of Alonso physically challenging peaceful protestors. These protestors gathered to ask for the release of Tania Bruguera, an artist the government detained without much evidence. A few months earlier, Bruguera had led demonstrations which demanded more freedom of expression for artists who worked for the state. She …

According to a Guardian analysis, roughly 6,500 immigrant workers, most of them from South Asia, have died over the last 10 years as they built facilities for the 2022 World Cup Finals. Study authors believe that this number, which averages to about one fatality a month, is artificially low. It does not include all foreign workers from all countries, and …

A six-ton “Wagner Wagnon” was photographed as it rumbled through a village near Bangui, the CAR’s capital city. Similar vehicles have been spotted in Libya, Syria, and other areas where Wagner Group mercenaries are known to be active. Evro Polis, a Russian company, developed and built these vehicles. They are basically a combination of a Humvee and an armored personnel …

Bingen, Washington-based Insitu, Inc. agreed to pay $25 million to resolve claims that it violated the False Claims Act by inflating costs. According to documents filed in a Seattle federal court lawsuit, Insitu said it would use entirely new components in drones that it built at seven locations in the Pacific Northwest. Instead, the company used “less-expensive recycled, refurbished, reconditioned, …