Gaza and the terror of tank warfare
As Israel encircles Gaza City, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) is conducting what we in the British Army call Fibua, or…
Brussel or Bruxelles? Even the locals can’t agree
Brussels is the source of all evil to many of those who supported Brexit, and even for Americans. “What’s a…
A dispatch from the olive oil capital of the world
It was an extraordinary sight. For three days, and about seventy kilometers of hiking, there were just endless olive trees…
Ukraine is lucky to have Britain’s Challenger 2 tanks
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, straining upon the start. So wrote William Shakespeare in Henry V. He…
In defence of Harry’s Taliban comments
Let’s just simmer down about Prince Harry, at least when it comes to his comments about the Taliban. In his…
The tragic loss of Somaliland’s epic Waaheen market
On the eve of Ramadan at the start of this month, the epic Waaheen market at the centre of Hargeisa,…
Spare a thought for the Russian squaddie
Britain’s greatest war poet Siegfried Sassoon was well aware of the idiocy of those who cheered the deaths of soldiers. ‘O German…
Will Ethiopia’s capital fall?
There have been stunning developments recently in Ethiopia’s grinding conflict between the national government and Tigrayan rebels in the north.…
The 9/11 anniversary marks a painful moment for squaddies
The sweet salvation of the summer recess over, we returned to Sandhurst for our final term of officer training. It was…
My taste of lockdown freedom on the Camino pilgrimage
A few of the hip young things sitting along the Lisbon quayside turned their heads my way as my walking…
The Kondo effect in politics
The decluttering crusade of home-organizing guru Marie Kondo has taken on a life of its own. Kondo’s effort to shame us…
