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Isenberg Video
- Here and There with Dave Marash, February 3, 2015
- Sep. 2, 2014 Al Jazeera English segment on Blackwater trial - Comment by David Isenberg
- Jan 2, 2010, Al Jazzeera (English), re Judge Urbina’s dismissal of charges against Blackwater contractors
- June 28, 2010. heard in “Controversy over CIA Blackwater contract,” The World
- August 17, 2010, on C-Span III, speaks on private military contracting
- Examining the role of the military contractor
- Has the Privatization of National Security Gone Too Far? The Future of Military Contracting, November 14, 2008, 9:30-11:00am, New America Foundation
- David Isenberg on PressTV - US contractor with poor ratings hired again
- Outsourcing War and Peace – Video
Recent Comments
- Joseph Burwell on Former student blasts military school for private defense contractors
- Gomes Castro on Families of slain and injured sue Ericsson over claims it funded Middle East terror
- A United States in Perpetual War Should Consider a Foreign Legion as a Pragmatic Solution | NextBigFuture.com on LEGITIMIZING A DE FACTO U.S. FOREIGN LEGION IN AFGHANISTAN: TRANSFER OF MISSION CRITICAL SECURITY OPERATIONS FROM PRIVATE CONTRACTORS TO U.S. MILITARY PERSONNEL
- Resource curse alive and well in Afghanistan - Antony Loewenstein on $488 Million Investment in Afghanistan’s Oil, Mining & Gas Industry at Risk
- Il Boom dei contractors in Africa – SURIYA HABIBATI on Mozambique: Hydrocarbon companies deny security deal with Erik Prince – AIM
Author Archives: David Isenberg
Wagner’s Remnants Are Running an Opioid Empire in the Center of Africa
After years of setbacks, the trade has given Wagner fresh impetus after its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash and much of its operations absorbed into the Russian state. Up to 500 of its members remain far up the Oubangui River in the Central African Republic, where their control over the tramadol trade is enabling them to exploit the country’s rich timber and gold resources. The Global Initiative estimates that Wagner earns $180 million a year from its illicit gold exports there. The trafficking of the painkiller to neighboring countries is providing an additional revenue stream. Continue reading
The Main Intelligence Directorate has revealed the stories of two mercenaries from Cameroon whom Russia sent to carry out suicide attacks
The Main Intelligence Directorate reported that one of them was 23-year-old Ngulure Ibrahim Nkite, who arrived in Russia in February 2026 and signed a one-year contract to serve as a rifleman in April. After brief training, he was deployed to the temporarily occupied territory of Luhansk Oblast, where, according to preliminary data, he was killed around May 12 during an assault in the Lyman area of Donetsk Oblast.
The second mercenary killed was 25-year-old Tapinjeu Namekong Loik, who had been studying at Michurinsk State Agrarian University in the Russian Federation. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), he was recruited into the Russian army and signed his contract in March 2026 in Vologda. Around April 23, the Cameroonian was killed near Huliaipole in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
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Posted in Africa, Casualties, Russia, Ukraine
Tagged Africa, Casualties, Cuba, Russia, Ukraine
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Wagner’s remnants run an opioid empire in the Central African Republic, WSJ reveals
Remnants of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group have built a drug empire in the Central African Republic on the painkiller tramadol — a fief beyond the reach of law enforcement or even Moscow itself, the Wall Street Journal reported. Up to 500 mercenaries remain along the upper Oubangui River, led by Pavel Prigozhin, son of the group’s late founder. Their control of the opioid trade now funds weapons, militias, and a deepening grip on the country. Continue reading
Russian Forces Thwart Colombian Mercenary Counterattack in Kharkov
Russian forces reportedly repelled a Colombian mercenary counterattack in the Kharkov Region, destroying most of the assault group as others retreated.
Russian forces repelled a counterattack involving Colombian mercenaries in the Kharkov Region, according to a source in Russia’s security agencies.
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Posted in Colombia, Mercenaries, Russia, Ukraine
Tagged Colombia, Mercenaries, Russia, Ukraine
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Soy Milk, Pasta And A Prison Plea: US Mercenary Wins Food Relief In Tihar Jail
A Delhi court has allowed a plea filed by American national Matthew Aaron VanDyke, who is facing terrorism-related charges investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), permitting him to receive food items of his choice and use specified cooking utensils inside Tihar Jail on humanitarian and medical grounds.
The order came after the court heard an application filed by VanDyke through his lawyers, Advocates Rohit Dandriyal and Rohit Gour, seeking permission for a special diet plan, arguing that his health had deteriorated because he was unable to consume the food ordinarily served in prison. Continue reading
A Trio Triangulates
The neon sign outside the basement bar buzzed with a low, dying hum, cutting through the heavy Chicago rain. Inside, the air smelled of stale scotch, cheap cigars, and wet wool.
At a corner booth, secluded behind a curtain of thick tobacco smoke, three men sat around a low wooden table.
On one side sat Vance—hard-jawed, leather-jacketed, with eyes that had seen too many dusty tracks in Africa and forgotten landing strips in the jungle. Beside him was Isenberg, a thin, sharp-eyed man wearing a rumpled tweed coat, a leather notebook open in front of him, pencil hovering like a scalpel.
Across from them sat Vane. tailored suit, pristine cuffs, eyes cold and clear as frozen Lake Michigan. He moved with the effortless, disciplined poise of a former commando turned titan of industry. Continue reading
Posted in David Isenberg, Fiction, Outsourcing/Privatization
Tagged David Isenberg, Outsourcing/Privatization
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We Live in the World Carlos the Jackal Made
Unlike the record of Al Qaeda, the emerging threat is little concerned with ideology or religious zealotry. Instead, like Carlos in his prime, it is transactional: covertly arranged acts of mayhem carried out by criminals on behalf of governments seeking to harm their geopolitical enemies. In the 2026 version of terrorism-for-hire, modern-day Carloses use encrypted social media platforms to sign up for what some are calling the violent gig economy. Continue reading
Posted in Outsourcing/Privatization, Terrorism
Tagged Outsourcing/Privatization, Terrorism
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Two Sides of the Ledger
This is the latest, Ahem, FICTIONAL, entry in what I’m calling the AI art imitates life category. But if it reminds you of anyone, well, perhaps you have a great memory. — A noir story. The characters below — Marcus … Continue reading
Elena Smirnova
From March 2023, Smirnova used social media – posting under her maiden name Shuvalova – to recruit Cuban and Sri Lankan nationals for the Russian military. The ads offered well-paid civilian work in Russia: a one-time payment, a monthly salary of 204,000 rubles (~$2,000 USD), and the long-term prospect of Russian citizenship. In Cuba, where average monthly wages are around $30, this was a life-changing sum for anyone who believed it. Continue reading
Kenya’s Official: 289 Kenyans Were Recruited into Russia’s Military. 69 Are Dead or Missing. Over 150 Are Still Unaccounted For
Kenya’s Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary Roseline Njogu has given the clearest official account yet of the scale of Kenyan involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Speaking on Radio Generation on Wednesday July 15, 2026, Njogu said government records show 289 Kenyans have at some point been recruited into Russia’s armed forces. Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Casualties, Russia, Ukraine
Tagged Africa, Casualties, Russia, Ukraine
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