The rapid-fire invasion of Iraq and then Kurdistan by ISIS, as the Islamic State was calling itself at the time, stunned the world. For several hours, it even presented an existential crisis for Kurdistan itself as the momentum of the invasion by ISIS brought them to within mere kilometers of Erbil – with little standing …
Even in a country with a wealth of beautiful landscapes, the Valle de Cocora still stands out. The broad, emerald green valley stretches east of the village of Salento into the lower reaches of Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados where it is framed by sharp peaks. Everywhere you’ll see wax palm, the largest palm in …
The following is straight from the notebook I had with me at the time and, I believe, helps give a feel for what it is like walking around Herat: …Wandering around Herat shafts of sunlight penetrate serpentine alleys lined by canvas-covered wooden stalls; the harsh light illuminates the faces of the merchants and their bountiful …
Perhaps not surprisingly to those that know me, I found the military dimension to Arunachal Pradesh interesting. Tensions between India and China run high in this area… Currently, India administers all of Arunachal Pradesh. However, the Chinese lay claim to the majority of Arunachal Pradesh as they believe it to be an extension of the …
An evening exploration of the streets of Damascus… “…no recorded event has occurred in the world but Damascus was in existence to receive news of it. Go back as far as you will into the vague past, there was always a Damascus… She has looked upon the dry bones of a thousand empires and will …
If you ever make it to Omdurman, Sudan (across the river from Khartoum) be sure to check out the Omdurman camel market. Or, you can just read this site… Most of the animals are brought in (on foot – like the old days of the American cowboy) from Darfur and South Sudan since these areas …
Baalbek has long enjoyed a reputation as home to some of the finest Roman ruins anywhere in the world. However, even without the Roman ruins, it would still be an interesting town… To reach Baalbek, one passes through the hot, dry Bekaa, not so much a valley as a high-altitude plain, with its Hezbollah flags …
Viewed from a distance, Port-au-Prince seems a pleasant and mellow Caribbean port city: Once one is out on the streets though, the fact that all is not well in Port-au-Prince soon becomes apparent. And the January 12, 2010 earthquake only served to push Haiti closer to the top of the Failed States Index… Destruction, dysfunction …
Zululand is an interesting place with quite a history…
Chernobyl Reactor # 4 shortly after the meltdown: Part 1: Chernobyl and Reactor # 4 Until the late 1990s it would have been impossible for me to come here. The whole area was sealed off. Now though, the United Nations is encouraging “ecotourism” to the former Chernobyl disaster zone in order to help the area …
There aren’t a lot of roads in Somalia. Those that do exist mostly pass through rough countryside, interspersed with the occasional village and frequent checkpoint. Upon arriving at a checkpoint, if you don’t have an armed guard with you, a bribe will be required and all of your passport details will be carefully taken down …
The Velvet Rocket is fairly picky about contributions from correspondents as most of the proposals we receive are either not relevant, not original material (in other words, just a repost of material that has already been published elsewhere), or not particularly interesting. Fortunately, we also receive some gems from time to time, such as that … Continue reading
Taiz is at something of a crossroads in Yemen. It is close enough to the south to be touched by the separatist sentiments found there. It is close enough to the north to be caught up in the intrigues in the capital. It is close enough to the wilderness of Yemen to have Al Qaeda … Continue reading
If one were to try to pick the exact date that the contemporary conflict in the North Caucasus turned dramatically in favor of the Russians, it would be September 1, 2004. However, it was not, as many have suggested, that the Chechens lost as much as the Russians won – despite the incredibly high casualty … Continue reading
As Ramzan Kadyrov and the Kremlin seek to legitimize their control of Chechnya, there is a steady rewriting and glossing over of history underway. One dramtic example of this is found in the strenuous effort to promote Akhmad Kadyrov as the father of modern Chechnya. Indeed, Grozny’s stadium has been named after him. And the … Continue reading
Welcome to Grozny! Before the First Chechen War broke out in 1994, Grozny was a fairly typical Russian city of a half a million people – the same size as Oslo in Norway. One notable aspect of the city though was that it was one of the Soviet Union’s most important oil centers. Grozny was … Continue reading
Crossing into Chechnya from Ingushetia one will immediately find themselves entering the plains of Chechnya: The Russians like the plains. The plains offer greater visibility and mobility and thus the mechanized advantages of the Russian military can more easily be brought to bear here, making it easier to do battle with the Chechens. Rather than … Continue reading
The road to Bamut: At least among Chechens, Bamut became one of the legends of resistance during the First Chechen War. In a dramatic flourish, the rebel leader Dzhokhar Dudayev even officially renamed it “Fortress Bamut”. And for a while, as its 1,300 houses and other buildings were being continuously rocketed, bombed and mortared, the … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 