Archives for the ‘Commentary’ Category

2006 in Focus – Top Ten Worst Destinations

By Lee Ridley • Dec 25th, 2006 • Category: Commentary

2006 has kept the news headlines coming thick and fast – from 13 car bombs in Iraq on the 1st Jan; through food shortages in Central Africa, to a summer of destruction in Southern Lebanon.



Private Military Contractors – A Short History

By James Grey • Jul 7th, 2006 • Category: The Players

Throughout history, military forces have depended on civilian contractors of one sort or another to give their military personnel flexibility, or to fulfill logistical and support functions that soldiers do not need to do.



Malaria – A Resurgent Menace

By Rob Wood • Feb 13th, 2006 • Category: Commentary

Malaria is one of the scourges of third world travelers, not to mention the people that live in areas prone to the disease.



2005 in Focus – Top Ten Worst Destinations

By Rob Wood • Jan 26th, 2006 • Category: The Places

A summary of the world’s worst travel dstinations of 2005, as chosen by Polo’s Bastards.



Russia’s Splitting Headache – A Brief History Of Chechnya

By Robert Chenciner • May 6th, 2005 • Category: The Places

Strabo at the time of Jesus mentions 26, already ancient, Albani tribes in the Caucasus that, by linguistic argument, included the Chechens (and Ingush). Most of the 55 ethnic groups in the Caucasus mountainous region between the Black and Caspian seas speak unique Caucasian languages. Chechen is a Northeast Caucasian language called Veinakh, meaning ‘our [...]



Osama Who!?

By Rob Wood • Oct 23rd, 2004 • Category: Commentary

A rundown on the Ring Road in Afghanistan and all the fun you could possibly have trying to use it.



Darfur Crisis: From the inside

By Rob Wood • Oct 14th, 2004 • Category: The Places

Polo’s Bastards’ Contributor, Vince Gainey has recently returned from a 6 week posting in the middle of the Darfur Crisis in West Sudan with a major international aid agency.