Needless to say, the most effective agents and spies are those motivated by patriotism and ideology; these spies will go to any length for the cause they believe in. “Topaz” is the most dangerous GDR- STASI secret agent. During my schooling, training, and preparation to work in diplomatic security intelligence... View Article
Vacationing spies As a child, I fantasised about travelling to America while watching movies. I believe the majority of people still dream of that. While reading and researching for a podcast, I stumbled across this 1956 photo of BND travellers to the United States. She attracted my curiosity, and the... View Article
I was born in a time when you were told from birth what society’s core values are: that leadership is here to create a better future, that the police are here to protect us from criminals, the fifth column, traitors, saboteurs, and those who steal from workers, and that the... View Article
The most dangerous year of the Cold War. When I was approximately 11 years old, I heard elders say that the world was on the edge of another battle, this time a major one. As a child, I had little understanding of what a nuclear war or nuclear missiles were,... View Article
Do you know how revolutions around the world start? I grew up in a world where communication was predicated on “be careful what you say, because you don’t know who is listening,” but those who were listening to what regular people said understood that the greatest thing they could do... View Article
The “Cold War” era, which began with the end of World War II, was marked by “strained” relations between the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as their allies. During the Cold War, open conflicts prevailed alongside international political, ideological, and economic rivalry. The United States used diplomacy... View Article
It goes without saying that every revolution is presented as group thinking, with groups benefiting, entire societies flourishing, and milk and honey available for all. However, as a child who fought and bled in the 1991 revolution, which resulted in civil war, I realised that revolutions are the product of... View Article
As a child, I recall “people militia” or, as we call it today, “police” coming to someone’s door and politely apprehending people and taking them into custody; most of those taken into custody were returned in white sheets and left in front of the door; that is police, I recall.... View Article
It goes without saying that we have all seen moments on social media where someone talks about Communism, Eastern Block, Soviet Union, and now Russia and they are so-called experts, but many of those experts were born in Eastern Bloc countries in the 1980s or 1990s and have no true... View Article
Introduction In a world increasingly driven by appearances, the saying “fake it till you make it” has found its way into the lexicon of career advice, personal development, and even social interactions. However, this approach, while seemingly effective in the short term, fundamentally undermines the essence of true progress and... View Article