Lima Charlie News

Russia and China’s ongoing ‘hybrid warfare’ – When does it cross the line?

With the subtle and clandestine methods of ‘hybrid warfare’ available to any nation, from disinformation to influence operations to election interference, Russia and China continue to be very creative. Some argue that amid the increased onslaught of hybrid warfare tactics by Eastern powers, Western style… Keep Reading

NATO’s value can’t be measured in nickels and dimes

OPINION: President Trump has viewed NATO’s strength in the dollars it spends on weapons, yet history has shown that the 70-year old alliance provides the most value when no shots are being fired. For a week in the spring of 2000, I awoke in an… Keep Reading

Election 2020: Seth Moulton – Country before party, people before politics

Profile: U.S. Army Veteran Matthew Condon interviews Massachusetts Congressman Seth Moulton, an Iraq War Veteran (US Marine Corps), and candidate for President of the United States in 2020. Lima Charlie World welcomes profiles of military veterans running for public office. Such profiles are not an… Keep Reading

War in Eastern Ukraine and the New Heroes of ‘Novorossiya’ (New Russia)

The War in Donbass continues to affect life in Ukraine five years after pro-Russian separatists declared the Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic independent in 2014. Estimated to have claimed the lives of approximately 12,800 to 13,000 people, the conflict in Eastern Ukraine has… Keep Reading

Murder, genocide, politics and the almost surrender of Radovan Karadžić

Amidst a bloody genocidal war that erupted after the breakup of Yugoslavia, in 1992, author William Stuebner was sent into the fray to represent the international community’s efforts to end the Bosnian War, Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War 2. In this, Stuebner would come… Keep Reading

Image The Alevis Dilemma [Lima Charlie News]

The Alevis Dilemma – Turkey’s Erdogan sets a religious minority on a collision course with Erdogan’s Turkey

A significant religious minority in Turkey, the Alevis, have become increasingly subject to President Erdogan’s populist ire, as they find themselves on a collision course with the Islamification and ‘Turkification’ of Turkey. When I visited Antalya, Turkey, in the late 1990s, I was surprised by… Keep Reading

Image Iran perpetuates terror - why not legally recognize that? Lima Charlie News

OPINION | Iran perpetuates terror – why not legally recognize that?

The case for designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian Intelligence Ministry as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Lima Charlie World is publishing the following opinion article in its entirety. At times, Lima Charlie will publish opinion articles that are relevant to critical foreign… Keep Reading

Imagine a Global Space Community … The Space Foundation Can

Lima Charlie World is attending the Space Foundation’s Space Symposium in Colorado to discover how the world’s space agencies, military communities and tech companies are working together to tackle the Final Frontier. We started Lima Charlie News with a mission to foster dialogue among military… Keep Reading

Remembering Becket – A mother’s search for answers

The following article originally appeared in Newsweek on February 27, 2019, and is being republished by Lima Charlie World with permission. The original can be read here (titled “Marine’s Death From Flesh-Eating Bacteria Revealed Military Failures, Thanks To Mother Refusing To Let Son Die In… Keep Reading

The Philippines, U.S., China make for a tough week at the International Criminal Court

The International Criminal Court is having a tough week. With the Philippines leaving the body, the U.S. threatening to deny visas and sanction investigators, and an unlikely prosecution of China’s activities in the South China Sea, the organization has a lot on its plate. However,… Keep Reading

Is Russia Failing in Ukraine? A Diminishing Threat

As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues, with the threat of a potentially greater conflict emerging, critical factors have emerged that severely mitigate Russia’s ambitions. Along with shifting military capacities, and a shifting reliance on Russian gas, Ukraine has a blossoming relationship with its… Keep Reading

Strike a deal with which devil? The many faces of the Taliban

18 years later, the U.S. is engaged in negotiations with the Taliban over the future of Afghanistan. But what exactly is “the Taliban”? Contrary to popular belief, there is no single “Taliban” and America is now negotiating with a hydra-like creature to an uncertain end.… Keep Reading

The Rwandan Jewel – Peacekeepers, Conflict Minerals and Lots of Foreign Aid

The U.S. and the United Nations have long partnered with Rwanda to support peacekeeping and counterinsurgency operations across Africa, providing expertise, weapons and funding to the Rwandan military. Meanwhile, Rwanda reportedly has provided weapons and support to rebel groups that target U.N. peacekeepers, while benefitting… Keep Reading

The fate of Afghanistan’s NATO Generation

OPINION | Almost 18 years ago the U.S. led NATO into Afghanistan. Today the majority of its 35 million people – the NATO Generation – were born or came of age with a significant international military, diplomatic and development presence in their country. This young,… Keep Reading

Women’s Day Warriors – Africa’s queens, rebels and freedom fighters

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, Dr. Gary K. Busch spotlights some of Africa’s greatest matriarchs, queens, rebels and freedom fighters, who have been largely scrubbed from history. The pervasive image of a poor, oppressed and powerless African female belies a long and proud history… Keep Reading

Vietnam to Iraq – America’s Lessons Never Learned

Vietnam Veteran and Middle East scholar, U.S. Colonel Norvell DeAtkine reflects on the U.S. government’s recent report, The U.S. Army in the Iraq War, the longest and most detailed study of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Iraq conflict thus far. “We have а professional and… Keep Reading

Russia’s energy divides Europe

OPINION: Fueled by Russian gas imports and the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, an energy Cold War threatens to divide Europe. The European Union’s Energy Union initiative is a beautiful idea. An idea which is being crushed by harsh realpolitik. The controversy surrounding Nord Stream 2 reflects… Keep Reading

The Trouble With Turkey’s Economy

How did Turkey go from rapid growth to economic crisis so quickly? The Turkish economy has become a truly perplexing case. Investing in emerging markets is always a risky game to play. Trying to sift through volumes of information and then place it in the… Keep Reading

Image Organised Crime in Asia - Part 2 (Photo: Anton Kusters)

Organised Crime in Asia – An [In]convenient Relationship: Part 2

There is an escalating crisis in Asia. A crisis developing from the symbiosis of organised crime, terrorism and the covert domestic and foreign policy ambitions of several Asian nations. Dr. Gary K. Busch examines organised crime and international politics in Asia — Part 2: Greater… Keep Reading

The Fears of Iran and its Forgotten Kurds

In the West much is heard about the struggles of the Kurdish peoples of Iraq and Turkey. Yet, little is heard about the Kurds of Iran. To most Iranians, Kurds are simply a non-people. Any mention of Kurdish symbols, such as the sun logo of… Keep Reading