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War

My Captivity

An American journalist on being kidnapped, tortured and released in Syria.

Theo Padnos New York Times Magazine Oct 2014 35min Permalink

The Secret Casualties of Iraq’s Abandoned Chemical Weapons

When American and Iraqi soldiers were exposed to leftover chemical munitions from Saddam Hussein’s war against Iran, the Pentagon kept silent.

C.J. Chivers The New York Times Oct 2014 Permalink

World

My Terrifying Night With Afghanistan's Only Female Warlord

Inside the stronghold of Commander Pigeon, “collector of lost and exiled men.”

Jen Percy The New Republic Oct 2014 20min Permalink

Crime

The Spy Who Scammed Us?

Jamie Smith said he was a co-founder of Blackwater and a former CIA officer. He appeared on cable news as a counterterrorism expert and he received millions in goverment contracts to train personnel. The money was real. The resume wasn’t.

Ace Atkins, Michael Fechter Outside Oct 2014 35min Permalink

World

The Lessons of Atmeh

The complexities of offering aid to a Syrian refugee camp.

Joshua Hersh VQR Oct 2014 30min Permalink

Crime World

“Your Future Is Very Dark”

On former CIA agent John T. Downey, who spent more than 20 years in China as the longest held American captive of war.

Andrew Burt Slate Sep 2014 2h10min Permalink

World

The Fight of Their Lives

ISIS vs. the Kurds.

Dexter Filkins New Yorker Sep 2014 40min Permalink

Science

Dark Side of the Moon

On the Cold War and the Space Race.

Kurt Eichenwald Newsweek Sep 2014 Permalink

Whoever Saves a Life

Seven days with Syria’s first responders.

Matthieu Aikins Matter Sep 2014 35min Permalink

"Son, Men Don't Get Raped"

In the U.S. military, more than half of rape victims are men.

Nathaniel Penn GQ Sep 2014 Permalink

Casualties of War

A couple’s only son is killed in Iraq.

Steve Oney Los Angeles Jun 2007 50min Permalink

World

Why Not Kill Them All?

A dispatch from Donetsk.

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Previously: Keith Gessen on the Longform Podcast.

Keith Gessen London Review of Books Sep 2014 25min Permalink

Media

A Sordid But Instructive Interval At Soldier of Fortune Magazine

A personal history of Soldier of Fortune magazine and the mercenary-wannabes who read and wrote it.

Fred Reed Playboy Mar 1984 20min Permalink

The Soft-Kill Solution

The future (and past) of non-lethal weaponry deployed against civilian populations.

Ando Arike Harper's Mar 2010 30min Permalink

Media

Last Tango in Kabul

While war raged across Afghanistan, expats lived in a bubble of good times and easy money. But as the U.S. withdraws, life has taken a deadly turn.

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Previously: Matthieu Aikins on the Longform Podcast.

Matthieu Aikins Rolling Stone Aug 2014 20min Permalink

The Interpreters

The full text of a 20,000-word ebook on the interpreters who worked alongside American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and their fates once they were no longer of service.

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The Interpreters is also available free on Amazon.

Ben Anderson Vice News Aug 2014 1h25min Permalink

World Media

Evaporated

On the trail of Austin Tice and the late James Foley, freelance journalists who were kidnapped in Syria in 2012.

James Harkin Vanity Fair Apr 2014 20min Permalink

History

The French and Indian War in Pittsburgh: A Memoir

On a childhood fascination with the mid-18th century battle.

Annie Dillard American Heritage Jul 1987 15min Permalink

Media

The War Photo No One Would Publish

When Kenneth Jarecke photographed the charred remains of an Iraqi soldier during the Gulf War, he thought it might help challenge the popular narrative of a clean, uncomplicated battle. He was wrong.

Torie Rose DeGhett The Atlantic Aug 2014 15min Permalink

Politics World

The Most Wanted Man in the World

Catching up with Edward Snowden in Moscow.

James Bamford Wired Aug 2014 10min Permalink

Nothing Says "Sorry Our Drones Hit Your Wedding Party" Like $800,000 and Some Guns

Untangling the aftermath of a United States drone strike in Yemen.

Gregory D. Johnsen Buzzfeed Aug 2014 30min Permalink

World

How Libya Blew Billions and Its Best Chance at Democracy

Following Muammar Qaddafi’s death in 2011, Libya had hundreds of billions of dollars. This is the story of how it was erased.

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Previously: David Samuels on the Longform Podcast.

David Samuels Businessweek Aug 2014 25min Permalink

Sports

While The World Watched

The World Cup and Argentina’s “Dirty War.”

Wright Thompson ESPN the Magazine Jun 2014 10min Permalink

World

"Then I Saw Them Everywhere. Children’s Belongings Were Everywhere.”

How the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 rippled around the world, from the battlefield of Ukraine to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam to the White House.

Marc Fisher, Michael Birnbaum, Annie Gowen, Todd C. Frankel, Karen DeYoung, Karoun Demirjian, A. Odysseus Patrick Washington Post Jul 2014 20min Permalink

The Forgotten Internment

During World War II, the indigenous Aleut people were forced into camps. 10% died.

Eva Holland Maisonneuve Jul 2014 20min Permalink

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