Military

Two robotic guns sit atop a guard tower bristling with surveillance cameras pointed at the Aroub refugee camp in the West Bank, Oct. 6, 2022.

Lapses in Israeli intelligence amid Hamas attack come as ‘a complete shock,’ says analyst

Israel-Hamas war

Many people are questioning how Israeli intelligence services were unable to detect and deter Hamas’s attack on Saturday that left hundreds of Israelis dead, while others were taken hostage. Subsequent Israeli airstrikes killed hundreds of Palestinians. Colin Clarke, director of research at The Soufan Group, a global intelligence and security consultancy, discussed the possibilities with The World’s host Marco Werman.

Black, white and blue illustration of a man wearing a mask, helmet and sunglasses, centered, with a skull behind him.

A conversation with a former member of Wagner: ‘They were like little kings or czars’

Wagner Group
soliders with weapons

Russian weapons shortage reduces supply going to India

Military
US Army recruits in assumed position, wearing black t-shirts that have "ARMY" written across in bold yellow letters

The US military faces challenges on the homefront as recruitment shortages continue

Military
Smoke rises from the Trade Ministry in Baghdad after it was hit by a missile during US-led attacks, March 20, 2003.

An Iraq vet grapples with lingering toll of war

Military
Young men chat near Al-Mutanabbi street in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023.

Young Iraqis reflect on the US-led invasion, its aftermath and their hopes for the future

Conflict & Justice

Monday marks 20 years since the start of “Operation Iraqi Freedom,” the US-led invasion of Iraq that toppled the president, Saddam Hussein, and aimed to spread democracy in the country. Two decades later, Iraqis who’ve lived through these turbulent and violent years share their thoughts about the war’s impact on their lives, about how they view the US now and about their hopes and concerns for the future of Iraq.

Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, author of the book, "A Stranger in Your Own City: Travels in the Middle East's Long War," in Istanbul, Turkey.

Iraqi author Ghaith Abdul-Ahad on the ‘unbuilding’ of Baghdad

Conflict & Justice

Iraqi author Ghaith Abdul-Ahad has a new book called, “A Stranger in Your Own City: Travels in the Middle East’s Long War.” It’s an ode to a city shattered by war. Abdul-Ahad speaks with The World’s Marco Werman about his childhood home, the cycle of sectarian violence set in motion by the US-led invasion in 2003 and what might lie ahead for the centuries-old, cosmopolitan city.

people behind a glass door at a table

Wagner mercenary group recruits Africans held in Russian prisons

Ukraine

In recent months, reports have emerged that at least two men, one from Zambia and another from Tanzania, were killed while fighting for the Wagner group in Ukraine. Wagner reportedly recruited the men from Russian prisons, promising them amnesty. 

Denmark's military officers stand next to a Leopard 2A7 tank at the Tapa Military Camp, in Estonia, Jan. 19, 2023.

Tanks for Ukraine are ‘ready to go’ when Germany and US strike a deal, retired Navy Adm. says

Ukraine

As Germany faces mounting pressure to supply tanks to Kyiv for the ongoing war in Ukraine, retired Navy Adm. James Stavridis talks with The World’s host Marco Werman about what the delivery of heavy weapons could mean for the war.

Cars line up to cross from Latvia into Russia

Desperate Ukrainians crossing into Latvia while Russians are blocked

Borders

Latvia, like the rest of European Union countries, has closed its border to virtually all Russians — even those fleeing conscription into the army. These days, it’s desperate Ukrainians who are crossing into Latvia from Russia, most notably young men fearing they might be drafted, too.