Nicaragua: This central-American country has had more than its fair share of violence … In July 1979 Ortega had been the hero: a dashing Marxist revolutionary whose Sandinista guerrillas had overthrown the Fascistic Samosa regime and entered Managua in triumph. Secret Wars Uncovered s1e7: Cold War in Central America
American president Ronald Reagan funnels money to right-wing Contra rebels fighting an insurgency against the Sandinista government, leading to one of the greatest scandals ever to hit the White House. ibid.
1932 El Salvador: An army of peasants and indigenous people rise up against the ruling classes: they want a socialist society. El Salvador’s president, Maximiliano Martinez, suppresses this rebellion … In six days they [army] kill tens of thousands of people. ibid.
US commercial interests have taken control of Nicaragua’s national rail company, and US marines remain in the country. They first landed in her beaches in 1909. ibid.
The Samosa dynasty had ruled Nicaragua for 44 years. From the outset they consolidated their power. ibid.
By the 1970s Central America was pulled into the Cold War. ibid.
By 1977 El Salvador has seen right-wing governments replaced by military juntas. ibid.
1982: left-wing rebels fight against the ruling military junta. ibid.
20th November 2015, Bamaco, Mali: Terrified hotel guests run for their lives as gunmen race through a luxury hotel in Bamaco, the capital of Mali. An Islamist group linked to al Qaeda claim responsibility. This terror attack focuses the world’s attention on the secret war unfolding in the Sahara desert. Mali went from being one of Africa’s most successful democracies to a failed state. Secret Wars Uncovered s1e8: Mali, History 2020
This [UN] peacekeeping mission became the deadliest campaign in the history of the United Nations. ibid.
Why are world leaders so eager to send secret special forces to fight in the Sahara? ibid.
International aid designed to help Mali grow into a democratic nation was diverted into the pockets of local politicians. ibid.
US special forces started operating in Mali for the first time. ibid.
The army rebelled against President Touré. And in March 2012 he was deposed. But what proved popular in Bamoko was not met with support globally. ibid.
It appeared the Islamists would take over the whole country … French commandos landed in Bamaco … In a matter of weeks northern Mali was back under French control … In 2013 the United Nations agreed to take over responsibility of securing the north of Mali. France started to withdraw some troops … UN troops were dying in the desert: a fight that would fester away from the world’s scrutiny. ibid.
Chronically underfunded, world leaders were slow to deliver on their promise to deliver troops on the ground. ibid.
Terror networks such as ISA, chased out of Syria and Iraq, find a fertile recruiting ground in northern Mali. ibid.
Over the course of time armies have changed beyond recognition as have the conduct and methods of combat. Their weapons have become more sophisticated and powerful. Their fighting skills broader and more adaptable to circumstances and terrains. But what remains unchanged is their innate ability when required to assume power over a country if and when the politicians fail. Secret Wars Uncovered s1e9: Coups D’etat
‘Coups usually occur when there is a lot of political uncertainly in the country.’ ibid. Professor Tim Forsyth
In 1969 Colonel Gaddafi tricked his way into power in Libya … Just seventy junior officers were responsible. ibid.
Nasser had overthrown a monarchy and remade his country as a thriving republic. ibid.
The United States also saw a threat growing in the country from a new socialist political powerhouse: he [Allende] was a doctor, he loved fine wine and expensive suits … Under orders from the White House, the CIA and National Security Council drew up a twin track plan … Track Two of the military plan was a military takeover. ibid.
America would support the forces in doing what ever they needed to do to tighten their grip over the country. ibid.
No country in the world has seen more coups than Thailand. Since 1932 the military there has intervened 18 times to seize control of the government. ibid.
In the summer of 2000 the leaders of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation came to America at the invitation of US president Bill Clinton. There were hopes of a resolution to a conflict which had lasted decades and had killed thousands. Secret Wars Uncovered s1e10: Gaza
The British had been in Palestine for almost three decades … Their administration had been a tumultuous one. ibid.
‘Most [Palestinians] were driven out of their territory.’ ibid. Michael Clarke, military specialist
The six-day war of 1967 saw Israel seize territory from Jordan and Syria and sweep across the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula. ibid.
‘When they [Israel] do intervene in Gaza, it creates terrible headlines around the world because their action always seems disproportionate.’ ibid. Michael Clarke
I’m going back to when Persia faced her greatest threat – the greatest conqueror the world had ever known, Genghis Khan. But from death and destruction emerged a golden age. Samira Ahmed, Art of Persia III, BBC 2020
If eye-witness accounts are to be believed, up to a million men, women and children were butchered this way. ibid.
The only law that truly counts in war is that your brothers have to stay by your side. ZeroZeroZero II: Tampico Skies, rozzers’ boss, Sky Atlantic 2020
In June 1815 two armies gathered on the plain of southern Belgium for an epic battle that would change the face of Europe. What became known as the Battle of Waterloo resulted in a victory of an alliance of forces commanded by English general, the Duke of Wellington. And defeat for the French forces commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte. Wellington v Napoleon: Aftermath of Waterloo, Sky History 2021
138,470. Wellington never lost a battle; Napoleon an arousing and charismatic commander instilled huge loyalty in his troops. ibid.
On these roads, the circulation of the most valuable and decisive commodities would permit the survival of the human race in its adaptation of the planet. And along these roads, for better or worse, silk of course would circulate, but also religion, language, refugees, artists, technology and pandemics. Exterminate All the Brutes s1e3: Killing at a Distance or … How I Thoroughly Enjoyed the Outing ***** HBO 2021
Sudan 1898 colonials wars. In Omdurman in 1989 the whole European arsenal was tested against a numerically superior and very determined enemy. One of the most cheerful depicters of war was Winston Churchill, later Nobel winner for Prize for literature. [He] was the war correspondent of the Morning Post. ‘Nothing like the battle of Obdurman will ever be seen again’, wrote Churchill in a book published after the experience. ibid.
An Historical Account of the Reconquest of the Soudan by Winston Spencer Churchill: ‘They were a condensed mass: 2,800 yards from the 32nd field battery and the gunboats. The ranges were known. It was a matter of machinery. The mind was fascinated by the impending horror. I could see it coming. In a few seconds swift destruction would rush on these brave men … It was based on a fatal underestimation of the effectiveness of modern weapons. Within the space of five hours, the strongest best armed and savage army yet arrayed against a modern European power had been destroyed and dispersed with hardly any difficulty, comparatively small risk and insignificant loss to the victors. Thus ended the Battle of Omdurman, the most striking triumph ever gained by the arms of science against barbarians … only a sporting element in a splendid game. ibid.
Joseph Conrad’s book Heart of Darkness was influenced by the Battle of Omdurman. ibid.
A new era in the history of racism. Europeans started mistaking military superiority for intellectual and even biological superiority. That’s when things turned nasty. No-one had to pretend any more. ibid.
Baden-Powell writes to his mother: ‘I thoroughly enjoyed the outing. Except for want of a fight. Which I fear will preclude our getting any medals or decoration. ibid.
Lord Salisbury, Albert Hall, 4th May 1898: ‘One can roughly divide the nations of the world into the living and the dying. The weak nations become increasingly weaker and the strong, stronger. It was in the nature of things that the living nations would fraudulently encroach on the territory of the dying. ibid.
The Germans did not think that as a higher race they had any need to abide by treaties they made with the natives. As in north America, the German plans for immigration presupposed that the natives were to be relieved of all land of any value. When the Hereros resisted … every Herero found within the German borders with or without weapons was to be shot … 80,000 Hereros died in the desert. ibid.
Eugenics: The over-infatuation with genetic impurity, an impressive amount of energy put into the classification of people. A pathological obsession for the concept of race that scientifically doesn’t exist. ibid.