My Childhood Friend, the ISIS Jihadist
Mashable
By Jakob Sheikh
A Danish journalist of Pakistani descent describes his childhood upbringing with what was once a close friend, and is now a militant for the Islamic State. He describes their not-so-different childhood, when their paths diverged and how his friend developed an extremist ideology.
The Secret Casualties of Iraq’s Abandoned Chemical Weapons
The New York Times
By C.J. Chivers
C.J. Chivers for The New York Times reports on the chemical weapons found in Iraq after the 2003 invasion. Weapons not from an active manufacturing program, but from the 1980s. A stockpile supplied by the West, uncovered by U.S. soldiers and kept silent by U.S. politicians and the military.
My Terrifying Night With Afghanistan’s Only Female Warlord
The New Republic
By Jen Percy
An interesting recount of time spent with an anomaly in the world of the Middle East, jihad and the Taliban: a female warlord who, by some accounts, is more fearsome than the men who strike fear over an entire region.
The Contestant
The California Sunday Magazine
By Daniel Alarcon
The story about the mysterious disappearance of a Peruvian teenager who vanished without a trace shortly after appearing on a popular television game show in Lima.
The Evans Family is Living in This World
Cincinnati Magazine
By Linda Vaccariello
This is a story about a family and community rocked by murder and the ways people come together in grief and to help each other continue living.
Blogs:
China’s war for Africa’s hearts and minds by Mark Varga
Investments Taking Precedence Over Rights by Richard Basas
Tunnel Vision: How the Egyptian Army “Won” the War over Gaza by Paul Mutter
The Islamic State and Southeast Asia by Gary Sands
Candid Discussions: Mohsen Milani on Iran and the Middle East Crisis by Reza Akhlaghi
