[YouTube] When we picture a regime change, we usually imagine a nation's own generals seizing power. However, there are instances where sovereignty is sold to the highest bidder, and soldiers of fortune treat the developing world as a chessboard for corporate profit or resource extraction. This is a breakdown of every major mercenary coup attempt in modern history, from Honduran banana plantations in the early 1900s to Wagner's armored columns marching on Moscow in 2023.
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:05 The Machine Gun Coup (Honduras, 1911)
4:00 The Sheriff’s Deputy Invasion (Haiti, 1958)
5:56 The Wild Geese (Congo, 1966–1967)
8:33 The King of Comoros (Comoros, 1975)
9:51 Operation Shrimp (Benin, 1977)
12:13 The Mercenary Kingdom (Comoros, 1978)
14:23 The Froth Blowers (Seychelles, 1981)
16:40 Operation Cactus (Maldives, 1988)
19:19 The Death of a Puppet (Comoros, 1989)
21:14 The Old Man and the Sea (Comoros, 1995)
23:05 The Wonga Coup (Equatorial Guinea, 2004)
25:26 The Bay of Piglets (Venezuela, 2020)
27:14 The March of Justice (Russia, 2023)
30:33 The Livestream Coup (DR Congo, 2024)
32:27 Conclusion
#1
These videos remind me of Videodrome. Max views a videotape of O'Blivion explaining that Videodrome is a socio-political battleground in which a war is being fought to control the minds of the people of North America.
[HumAngleMedia] This is the story of how modern Islamist extremism emerged from the edge of an African prison and moved into Nigeria, escalating into an unending fire of insurgency.
In August 2016, Mamman Nur, one of Boko Haram’s foremost commanders, dramatically sat before a camera on the shore of the Sambisa Forest, a vast terrorist hideout in North East Nigeria. He publicly accused the group’s supreme leader, Abubakar Shekau, of doctrinal deviance and transgressions. He said Abubakar had become power-drunk, killing his own commanders over minor disagreements and spilling the blood of fellow Muslims.
And it is an article of faith that no good Moslem would ever harm a fellow Moslem. Not validated by experience, but nonetheless often trumpeted.
He named several terrorist figures Shekau had killed, including Mustapha Chad, Abu Amr Falluja, Kaka Allai and Mallam Ba’ana Banki.
He titled the recording Exposé, deliberately weaponising the same word Shekau had used to attack his critics. He also invoked the words of the former Islamic State spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, saying: “Whoever changes, we will also change him.” His message was not only a threat; it was also a campaign to depose Shekau as the leader of the terror group. Within months, Mamman’s faction formally broke away to become the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), as Shekau led the Jama’atu Ahlussunnah Lidda’awati wal Jihad (JAS). This movement had existed before Boko Haram pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
Behind the sudden division lay an unfolding theological debate within the global Salafi-jihadi movements for decades. It revolved around one question that has repeatedly divided jihadist organisations from the Middle East to the Lake Chad Basin: How far can the practice of takfir – declaring other Muslims as non-believers – go before this doctrine, which is meant to validate jihad, starts to undermine the very concept of jihad itself?
The other question, in the years following the American response to 9/11, is how much pain and destruction must the Ummah absorb as a result the strong jihad of the sword against the lands of the Unbelievers, Dar al Harb, and is there a point where the high cost is proof that Allah did not approve of that particular effort by that particular group? The conclusion for a while was that Al Qaeda crossed the line by attacking America, but then ISIS came along, and thinking once again fell by the wayside in favour of wielding sharp bits of metal and things that kaboom, though the remaining Shiites aiming at Israel might be starting to ponder the addressing the question.
Drawing on Boko Haram’s internal correspondence, Arabic treatises, multimedia recordings, and local sermons, HumAngle traces how an ideology born in Egypt travelled through Jordan, Iraq, and Syria before taking root in northeastern Nigeria. What later appeared as a personal power struggle between Shekau and Mamman Nur was, in reality, the culmination of a decades-long ideological dispute over faith, authority, governance, and the limits of violence. The journey that turned the former terrorist allies into bitter enemies began several decades back, in an Egyptian prison cell.
The story begins with Sayyid Qutb, an Egyptian author and one of the foremost figures in modern Sunni Islamic revivalism. He’s the author of a popular Islamist book, Ma’alim fi al-Tariq, mostly known as Milestones, which he wrote while in prison under the Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, and published shortly before his execution in 1966. The book was said to have transformed a classical Islamic concept into a revolutionary political doctrine.
The term “jahiliyya” literally referred to the pre-Islamic Arabian era before the Prophet Muhammad’s message, but Sayyid gave it a radically different meaning in his book. He argued that contemporary Muslim societies had fallen back into a new jahiliyya because they accepted political systems that placed human authority above divine law.
[MilitaryTimes] The more we learn about the attacks on the U.S. Naval Support Activity (NSA) in Manama, Bahrain, during the opening days of Operation Epic Fury, the clearer it becomes why the news of its near destruction was not initially reported or acknowledged.
Extensive damage to one of our most significant forward bases in the Middle East is likely to have profound tactical and strategic repercussions that are only now coming into focus.
The idea that this broad functioning hub, built over decades, was significantly degraded in the space of a few days by a regional player is unimaginable.
I have fond memories of Bahrain both from past port visits, where it provided much-needed rest and relaxation, decent shopping and fitness options, and from my time as a government trainer when I flew over for shipboard training once every six months. I always felt safe there.
That NSA Bahrain is now virtually uninhabitable, with families left in limbo, as described in recent reporting, is difficult to grasp.
The damage is estimated to be close to $400 million. Buildings reportedly harmed include the Fifth Fleet headquarters, a barracks, several warehouses, communications towers and a potable water station.
I seriously hope religious war is not a London project at all — that would be actively evil.
[PROMETHEAN] Barbara Boyd traces Mamdani, El-Sayed, and Obama to a single London—Soros network stoking religious conflict over Gaza, Iran, and Islam to take down Trump and the midterms — and shows how Trump is answering with the Board of Peace and a nuclear-powered productive economy.
Barbara Boyd argues that British intelligence and allied Democrats are stoking U.S. religious conflict around Gaza, Iran, and Islam to target Donald Trump and the midterms, citing media narratives, claims about Israel’s influence, and a Texas proposal to ban hijabs and halal food. She links New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, and Barack Obama to a London—Soros—Obama network, highlighting their biographies, Rhodes/Columbia and NYPIRG connections, and Democratic Socialists’ attempts to delete or soften past "woke" positions tied to 2020 unrest.
2020 would be George Floyd and Black Lives Matter, ie. the cause that year for Antifa/Black Bloc anarcho-communist syndicalists.
Boyd claims Britain has long used the Muslim Brotherhood and engineered Middle East sectarianism since Sykes-Picot, and similarly "invented" communism as a tool against industrial rivals.
Britain invented communism??? That kind of claim needs extraordinary proof…
She says Trump is countering this with limited Iran action, economic pressure, Gulf "Board of Peace" efforts, and a renewed focus on rebuilding a productive, nuclear-powered economy.
Certainly American and Western (including Japan and Australia) energy independence, long a primary Trump goal, would significantly weaken the influence of Moslem oil governments and any protection countries like Qatar offer the Muslim Brotherhood, and jihadi groups. Nuclear power is a small piece in addition to increased drilling, which he has also been pushing, both at home and abroad.
[FOX] America's rivals stand to gain from a growing backlash against the data centers powering the nation's AI boom and foreign money is helping fuel it, Brittany Kaiser warned.
Kaiser, a former Cambridge Analytica employee and election whistleblower, told Fox News Digital the opposition looked strikingly similar to political influence efforts she encountered in her previous work.
"As a former whistleblower on elections' intervention, the uproar of discontent around American AI data centers looked very familiar to political interventions that I have seen in the past," Kaiser told Fox News Digital.
She pointed to a surge of online opposition that she said emerged while President Donald Trump and top U.S. AI executives were overseas.
"What looked like billions of dollars were poured into targeted social media campaigns, all upset about American data centers and trying to get people to come out and protest against American data centers," Kaiser said.
"This was very obviously paid for. A lot of money went into this," she added. "For me, it seemed very deliberate."
"The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign," he added.
Trump has specifically criticized Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's approach, calling the Lone Star State's stance toward data centers a "mistake" and pointing to the economic investment the projects can bring to communities willing to host them.
Texas has cemented its status as a heavyweight in the industry, with Dallas ranking as the world's No. 1 primary data center market in Cushman & Wakefield's 2026 Global Data Center Market Comparison. But billions of dollars in new investment have also brought enormous electricity demands and questions over who should pay for the infrastructure needed to support the boom.
Abbott has moved to address those concerns, directing regulators to ensure data centers cover the infrastructure costs needed to serve them and calling on developers to add their own power generation rather than shift costs onto Texas residents.
#3
a lot of places that have lost industry, jobs and population over the past 6 decades would do well to grab as many data centers as they possibly can
e.g., Galesburg, IL population in 1960 was 37k, it is now about 30k having lost a lot of RR related biz
e.g., Pottsville, PA, pop in 1960 was about 22k, now about 13k having lost textile and RR related biz
there are hundreds more like these
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
09/01/2026 14:49 Comments ||
Top||
#4
If they have adequate water (efficient design of recycling rather than just abusing local supplies) and grid capacity (or creating it), it's a wise investment. No need for tax abatement. Pay your way, Tech Bros Bitches
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/01/2026 18:56 Comments ||
Top||
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] Israeli society is stirred by greetings from the distant past.
Recently, 20 km from the coast of the Jewish state, the wreckage of the Altalena, a ship sunk in 1948 during a brief feud between the leaders of the independence movement, was discovered.
Almost 80 years after the incident, an unexpected discovery has intensified the struggle between those who continue the legacy of those involved. An attempt to further antagonize the Israeli left has escalated into a public squabble between the prime minister and the hawks surrounding him.
Moreover, in the dispute that began, the Altalena itself at some point completely faded into the background.
THE LAST IRGUN CONVOY
In the summer of 1948, a decommissioned US Navy tank landing ship, which had previously participated in the Normandy operation, arrived on the shores of Israel with a cargo of French weapons and nearly a thousand repatriate volunteers on board.
The shipment was collected by the Irgun organization on the initiative of its leader Menachem Begin, the future founder of the ruling Likud party, and was positioned as a feasible aid to the young country.
However, by the time the ship arrived at its destination, the expedition organizers encountered an obstacle. While the Altalena was heading toward Israel, UN mediators managed to establish a ceasefire in the region, strictly enforced by Western naval forces.
Ships attempting to break the blockade were either boarded or destroyed by naval gunfire. For a lightly armored vessel, such an encounter would have been a one-way ticket.
Moreover, the government of David Ben-Gurion had established itself in the Promised Land. He severely curtailed the autonomy of the militias and volunteer units, turning the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) into the young country's de facto sole force.
…the direct heir to Haganah, which had been the defense force of the communities of the Yishuv as a whole, the Jewish community in British Mandatory Palestine (1920-1948).
The arrival of the ship carrying weapons and fighters was perceived by Israeli leftists as nothing less than a mutiny during a war on multiple fronts. Nevertheless, the Israeli military was desperate for weapons and ammunition, and Ben-Gurion decided to take the risk. However, he demanded that the Irgun hand over the cargo to the IDF.
The right-wing representatives complied and handed over most of the cargo to the army. However, during unloading, a dispute arose between the parties over the fate of the remaining weapons. Begin wanted to transfer some of them to the right-wing battalions that had already been integrated into the IDF.
The arguments quickly turned personal, with Ben-Gurion's supporters accusing the Irgun of treason and plotting a "fascist putsch."
Ben-Gurion came out of the labour socialist side of the aisle that governed Israel from independence until Menachem Begin became prime minister in 1977.
A firefight broke out between the coastal forces and the Altalena crew, resulting in the deaths of several dozen people.
Moreover, the ship came under fire from a Canadian destroyer and was forced to hastily leave for Tel Aviv, having first disembarked the repatriates at the first mooring area. However, it ran aground near the future capital and was later shot at from the shore by local loyalists in a sign of compliance with the embargo.
A day later, the Altalena was refloated and sunk in the open sea.
A few days later, the Irgun was officially disbanded.
"A MONUMENT TO THE TYRANNY OF THE LEFT"
The incident sparked significant unrest in Israeli society. Many believed that Ben-Gurion's government had provoked the Irgun into a clash, subsequently attempting to frame the incident as a timely uncovered rebellion. This was done under the plausible pretext of getting rid of the growing right-wing militias.
And at the same time from Begin, who was claiming to lead the country.
Moreover, the hunt for the Altalena was accompanied by demonstrable insubordination. Specifically, Israeli pilots refused to launch an air strike on the grounded vessel, and only one artillery battery obeyed the order to fire on it from land.
During the peak hours of the crisis, entire battalions sympathetic to the Irgun deserted from the IDF. Only Begin's political courage—and his decision to disband the organization rather than further escalate—saved Israel from civil war.
Nevertheless, the episode went down in the history of the Jewish state as a "war of the left against the right." And the Irgun's ideological heirs continually seek ways to perpetuate their opponents' tyranny.
Eh? Is perpetuate the proper word here?
Thus, back in 2006, Likud activists began organizing memorial ceremonies on the day of the Altalena's sinking, including going out to sea to the approximate square where the ship sank.
Furthermore, starting in 2011, the Prime Minister's Office, together with the Begin Heritage Center, organized several diving expeditions to search for the sunken ship. If successful, the discovery was planned to be converted into either a floating obelisk or a part of a land-based memorial complex. However, none of the missions were successful.
The Altalena was only discovered in late August 2026. Its remains were found at a depth of approximately 503 meters, approximately 20 kilometers off the Israeli coast—approximately a few nautical miles south of the square where it was believed to have found its final resting place.
And thanks to this, the old issue returned to the agenda. Just in time for the difficult parliamentary elections, where the right-wing government needed a convincing trump card.
A "GIFT" FOR THE COALITION
The discovery of the Altalena opened up wide room for maneuver for Israel's ruling forces, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
After 20 years of searching and promises, the "descendants of Begin" have finally been able to reclaim one of the main symbols of their contribution to the establishment of the Jewish state and the struggle for its independence, as well as the sacrifices they made in the process.
Even though Netanyahu's coalition faces a largely centrist opposition in the 2026 elections, the right is perfectly capable of playing the trump card it has been given. Specifically, accusing its opponents of provoking division in Israeli society at a time when the country is going through a difficult period, and of blaming their real motives for the attack on the Altalena in 1948.
Moreover, acquiring a symbol considered almost sacred by the right on the eve of the elections will allow the coalition to unite and mobilize the right-wing electorate, especially its older members, who have almost completely withdrawn from political life in recent years.
True, the "find of the century" also brought additional discord into the right-wing camp. In the long term, this discord outweighed the potential benefits. This is all because the key factions were unable to share the laurels that had fallen to them.
The informal leader of the far-right wing and the government's main "hawk," National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, attempted to claim the discovery for himself.
Just a few hours after the discovery was confirmed, the minister called a major press conference, where he announced that he was “closing the bleeding wound” of the past with his own hands.
Ben-Gvir justified this lofty position by arguing that the ship had been found by his close associate, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, and that part of the expedition had allegedly been paid for by Itamar and his fellow party members. Meanwhile, the government, on the contrary, refused to allocate large sums of money to search for the "unwanted vessel."
It is also interesting that Prime Minister Netanyahu was not mentioned at all in Ben-Gvir’s speech, even though he was initially one of the founders of the entire campaign to sacralize the heroism of the Altalena crew.
This sparked fury in the Prime Minister's Office, especially considering that the press conference had originally been planned as a joint one and was scheduled to take place a few days later at the Begin Heritage Center. Ben-Gvir, however, completely undermined both the concept and the planned political message.
As a result, Netanyahu was forced to catch up with his active ally and record his own video address. In it, the prime minister attempted to tone down the newsbreak and boil it down to the thesis that the newly acquired Altalena should serve not so much as a symbol of "leftist tyranny" as a reminder of the unacceptability of war between Jews of different views.
This reconciliation with history was perceived by some on the right as weakness. Israeli social media was awash with criticism of Netanyahu for his flirtation with the opposition and his attempts to be nice to everyone.
Ben-Gvir's camp quickly latched onto the wave of criticism, dubbing Netanyahu "Ben-Gurion 2.0"—implying that he had waged an ideological war against the Minister of National Security. However, Ben-Gurion, on the contrary, more consistently follows Begin's revisionist tradition—and is therefore the true leader of the right.
FOOL THE SMART GUYS
Netanyahu's supporters have so far ignored Ben-Gvir's attacks, but their standoff is unlikely to end there. Especially given the growing grievances between the two politicians.
Ben-Gvir is unhappy that Netanyahu is torpedoing his righteous initiatives to develop the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and is also trying to infringe on the rights of the ultra-Orthodox.
Netanyahu, however, is clearly tired of his rival's constant provocations, as well as his unjustifiably brutal public actions, such as the mockery of the arrested members of the Sumud flotilla, which cast a shadow on the entire right-wing camp. In this context, the crisis surrounding the rusty wreck of the ship is more of a triggering episode.
However, the opposition views the war between the two heavyweights with obvious suspicion. This is partly because, over the past year, Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir have repeatedly escalated tensions and created the appearance of an imminent rupture and a transition to open confrontation.
This was the case both during the heated debate over the draft law to conscript ultra-Orthodox Israelis into the IDF and during the war with Iran. However, each time, both politicians used this maneuver to dupe the opposition and make it believe in their own superiority.
It's possible they're pursuing a similar tactic this time: distancing themselves from each other is beneficial to both. It will allow Ben-Gvir to return to his accustomed status as a "right-winger" and a "lone hawk," while Netanyahu will cement his image as a national leader who prioritizes the well-being and stability of the entire state above the interests of individual factions and elite groups.
As a result, both will come out on top, sharing the dividends from the discovery of the Altalena, and will subsequently retain their seats in parliament.
However, such a scheme will only work properly if both players continue to adhere to their previous gentlemen's agreements, which, given Ben-Gvir's accumulated negative baggage, is increasingly doubtful. He's not running for government alone, but is dragging right-wing radical Zvi Sukkot along with him, something Netanyahu disagrees with. Ben-Gvir knows this, but he continues to stand his ground.
Therefore, there's a risk that the prime minister will seize this convenient pretext to bar his presumptuous ally from the new parliament. The prime minister's office is already sending out the first hints of such an outcome, harshly criticizing Sukkot for his recent attempt to destroy a Palestinian memorial in an Israeli troop zone. Although previously, it had turned a blind eye to such escapades.
True, in that case, their war would escalate from symbolic to real. But the Prime Minister, apparently, isn't worried about that for now.
#1
Ben Gurion missed hugely on two things.
(a) Ethnically cleansing the Arabs: nobody would say a word of criticism - they were doing it all over Europe in 1948. And, good chances it would've been repeated in 1967.
(b) When the Chief rabbi came to him - demanding extra rights for the Religious - Ben Gurion should've had him thrown out.
[FOX] The U.S. Navy is developing a brand-new, extra-long-range missile designed to shoot down enemy aircraft before they can get close enough to threaten American fighter jets or aircraft carriers.
The department announced the new weapon on Aug. 22, saying the next-generation AIM-424 LRAAM is nicknamed "MALICE."
The weapon is designed to be fired from a jet to target enemy aircraft or drones at extreme distances in the air.
In practice, American pilots will be able to detect an enemy on radar, launch the missile from extreme ranges and destroy the target before coming within close proximity to the enemy, potentially increasing the pilot's survivability.
Its range is listed as "in excess" of 250 nautical miles, or roughly 287 statute miles. That is a massive distance for an air-to-air missile, allowing jets to protect an entire fleet from far over the horizon.
At 13.5 feet long and weighing 1,500 pounds, the missile is significantly larger and heavier than standard medium-range air-to-air missiles. In comparison, the AIM-120 AMRAAM weighs about 335 pounds, underscoring the size of the propulsion system needed to propel the LRAAM to extreme distances.
The missile is also equipped with a blast-fragmentation warhead, meaning it does not necessarily have to score a direct physical hit. Instead, it detonates near the target, sending fragments outward to destroy or disable the aircraft.
Officials said the missile is compatible with aircraft across multiple generations, including fourth and fifth-generation fighters as well as future sixth-generation aircraft.
The LRAAM is being developed by Raytheon, one of the U.S. military’s primary defense contractors.
**Anti-satellite (ASAT) missiles** are weapons designed to destroy or disable orbiting satellites, primarily through **kinetic impact** (direct collision) or fragmentation warheads. The four nations that have successfully demonstrated destructive ASAT capabilities are **China**, **India**, **Russia**, and the **United States**.
* **China**: Conducted the first modern kinetic ASAT test in **2007**, destroying the **FY-1C** weather satellite with an **SC-19** missile; this test generated over 3,000 pieces of trackable debris.
* **Russia**: Tested the **PL-19 Nudol** system, notably destroying a satellite in **2021** which created significant space debris threatening the **ISS** and other low-Earth orbit assets.
* **India**: Successfully demonstrated **Mission Shakti** in **2019**, using a **PDV Mk-II** interceptor to destroy a low-Earth orbit satellite at an altitude below 300 km to minimize debris.
* **United States**: The **ASM-135 ASAT** was an air-launched missile that destroyed the **Solwind P78-1** satellite in **1985**; the U.S. also used an **SM-3** missile from a destroyer to destroy the **USA-193** spy satellite in **2008**.
These weapons pose significant risks by creating long-lasting **space debris** that can trigger a **Kessler Syndrome** cascade, endangering global space infrastructure and satellite operations.
By Brett McGurk - long time security official serving during W, Obama, Trump 1 and Biden
key para:
[CNN] Since mid-July, the US has reimposed its military blockade on Iranian ports and sanctions on Iran’s oil trade. In parallel, the U.S. military has worked tirelessly to clear shipping lanes and help protect commercial ships transiting the Strait. The result has been an effective blockade on Iranian oil shipments, with global shipments recovering and energy prices remaining remarkably stable. Bloomberg reported this week that oil flows through the Strait have recovered to 2/3 of pre-war levels.
That means pressure is now compounding on Iran, and not the US. And if Iran loses its ability to hold the Strait hostage, its leverage dissipates rapidly.
[we all pretty much know that... what is new is CNN view]
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
09/01/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[279 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
