MiG-23 fighter jets began arriving in China in 1978, with Beijing scheming to reverse-engineer the Russian aircraft. Egypt would deliver six Soviet MiG-23s to China over five years, as part of a barter payment for Chinese aircraft. The reverse-engineering effort to create a Chinese version of the Russian MiG-23 was…
Canada-US
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China, The Great Divider: The Canada-US Trade Rift
It appears to me that Canadians are divided between supporting Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Liberal Party government walking away from the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) free trade talks, and those who believe Carney walked away from the agreement at the last minute with malicious intent, for his own…
History, Conflict, Terrorism, Political Talk and Anecdotes
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An Iberian Conquest Apologist Posting: Historical Facts and Context Matter
This article was originally posted on LinkedIn on August 11. See: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/iberian-conquest-apologist-posting-historical-facts-context-de-melo-imhsc/?trackingId=3k%2FdFIXzUlfaJGmFn64fZQ%3D%3D There is a posting in Spanish that presents a lot of misconceptions and misdirection that has been taught for a long time about the Islamic invasion of Iberia (i.e. what is today Spain and Portugal) and Islamic rule….
Portuguese Colonial War
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Soldier of Fortune Magazine: First Chill: Baptism by Fire in Mozambique
An amusing account of a Portuguese soldier’s first experience in combat in Mozambique during the Portuguese Colonial War. Published today by Soldier of Fortune Magazine. The soldier is my uncle. The SOF publisher says my uncle was very dashing. Haha. The article is a republication of an original piece written…
Terrorism
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When Mass Murderers Become Heroes: The Legacy of PFLP Kozo Okamoto
The infamous Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and Japanese Red Army (JRA) terrorist Kozo Okamoto, who took part in a deadly terrorist attack on Tel Aviv’s Lod airport over 50 years ago, died on July 23, 2026 in Beirut. The May 30, 1972, attack is known as…
China-Iran
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War, Sanctions and The China-Iran Partnership
Over the decades, the relationship between China and Iran has evolved into a distinctive strategic interdependency, but the dominant theme is Iran’s growing dependence on China—an asymmetry which carries risks for Tehran. China’s modern economic and strategic defence partnership with Iran began around 1970, before the Islamic Republic’s revolution, when…
Close Protection
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Think Close Protection Is All Adventure? Think Again.
A friend and colleague of mine took this photograph while on a certain task as a Close Protection (CP) operative in an African country, where we were working. Perhaps because I know my colleague in the photo well, and because many of us, including me, had been on this same…
Hizballah
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Is Hizballah a Mercenary Organization? (E141), The Ancient Art of Modern Warfare Podcast
I am honoured to have been invited to join Colonel Christopher T. Mayer and Doug Brooks to discuss ‘Is Hizballah a Mercenary Organization?’. It is an interesting discussion. Colonel Christopher T. Mayer has an impressive background and experience. His website, The Ancient Art of Modern Warfare, is worth a visit….
Iran
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Reports Claim that Mossad Recruited Ahmadinejad for Iran Plot; Ahmadinejad Denies It; Israel Sowing Division?
As I said in my initial LinkedIn post yesterday, if this is true, it is big… “If” this is true. ⚠️Regardless, the release of this report might make Ahmadinejad a target of the power holders. Is that the intention of having such a report released publicly? Whether this report is…
Middle East History
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The Realities and Timeline of Gaza and the West Bank History Few Seem To Realize Or Ignore; Wacky Qaddafi Knew
I remember sometime ago having a back-and-forth, relatively tame argument with a Spanish pro-Palestine activist on LinkedIn, and during our very public discussion, where it became glaringly clear that she knew nothing about the history of the Middle East, the history of Israel (ancient Israel to its modern reestablishment) and…