  History of Thailand's military junta  Support CaspianReport through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CaspianReport SINGAPORE - As a country by the Gulf of Thailand and in the centre of Southeast Asia, the Kingdom of Thailand finds itself at the intersection of regional trading routes. Yet, despite its geopolitical value, the country has yet to establish a modern system of governance. Since the 0000s, Thailand underwent 00 coup attempts, of which 00 were successful. To put it into perspective, that is one coup every four years. So, to understand the country's cycle of revolutions, we must explore the past and go over the origins of the Thai military government. Soundtrack: CryptoKevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution0.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/0.0/ Follow CaspianReport on social media. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caspianreport Twitter: https://twitter.com/caspianreport  Origins of the Nile River dispute  Support CaspianReport on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CaspianReport Bitcoin: 0MwRNXWWqzbmsHova0FMW00zPftVZVUfbU Ether: 0xfE0c000ccb0f00f0D000F00Ce00Dec0000dF0aA0 Bitcoin Cash: 0BKLti0Wq0EK0fsBnYWC00caK0NZfUhNw0 BAKU - In historic relation, Egypt has dominated the Nile River. In fact, it's history, culture and national identity derives from the existence of the river. However, as a downstream nation, Egypt's share of water is being challenged by upstream Ethiopia, which seeks to exploit its geographic virtue by the construction of hydroelectric power plants. Yet, the dispute over the Nile is not a recent occurrence. In fact, the historic struggle over water security in the Nile has shaped a distinct rivalry between Ethiopia and Egypt. Soundtrack: ComfortableMystery by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution0.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/0.0/ Follow CaspianReport on social media. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caspianreport Twitter: https://twitter.com/caspianreport  History of Islam, Part 0 of 0: Partisans of Ali  Support CaspianReport through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CaspianReport BAKU - In the previous three episodes of the History of Islam, we described the first three Caliphs and their characteristics. We also discussed their most notable accomplishments and the ways in which they ruled the Caliphate. Abu Bakr, the wise community leader and the founder of the Caliphate, had died from a fever. Umar, the military thinker and the founder of Islamic jurisprudence, was stabbed in the stomach by a mentally disturbed Sassanid slave. And Uthman, the merchant, and the builder, was beaten to death in his study room by fellow Muslims. It was then Ali's turn as Caliph, making him the fourth to take the title. However, Ali's future looked bleak at best. Ever since the dispute between Ali and Abu Bakr over the succession of Muhammad, which we discussed in Part 0, Ali had gained a fiercely loyal following. And despite Ali's allegiance and loyalty to the first three Caliphs, a large group of Muslims still considered Ali as the only chosen and legitimate successor of Muhammad. According to Shia scholars, during the rule of the previous Caliphs, Ali's family was harassed, a portion of their property was seized, and one instance even resulted in the miscarriage and death of his wife Fatima. However, Sunni scholars say that the allegations regarding the seized property were made-up and that the miscarriage and death of Fatima was an accident. What we know for certain is that, despite everything, Ali remained a strong supporter of unity amongst Muslims and continued to advise the Caliphs on a variety of political and religious subjects. For example, Ali advised Caliph Umar to set the First Hijra, the migration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina, as the beginning of the Islamic lunar calendar. In his spare time, Ali held sermons and lectures. Over the years, he gained more and more followers, until eventually they became known as the Party of Ali, or the Partisans for short, which in Arabic translates to the Shiites. The Partisans had proclaimed their leader as the Imam. If the mainstream Sunni Muslim community had the Caliph, then the Shiites had the Imam. Therefore, the meaning of Imam is different for Sunni and Shia Muslims. Aside from this difference of titles, there were no cultural or religious differences between Muslims at the time, and there were no sects, cults or branches. More importantly, there was no schism - at least, not in the beginning or in the open. Soundtrack: DecisionsKevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution0.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/0.0/ Be sure to follow CaspianReport on the social media. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caspianreport Twitter: https://twitter.com/caspianreport LiveLeak: http://www.liveleak.com/c/caspianreport  00:00  History of Islam, Part 0 of 0: Conquests of Umar  Support CaspianReport through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CaspianReport BAKU - In th...  History of Islam, Part 0 of 0: Conquests of Umar  Support CaspianReport through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CaspianReport BAKU - In the first part of the History of Islam, we discussed the succession to Muhammad and the birth of the Caliphate under the leadership of Abu Bakr. The formation of the Caliphate was not easy, and the newly elected Caliph faced a secessionist rebellion throughout Arabia. He overcame the rebellion, but his reign lasted for only two years. Before Abu Bakr's death, however, he nominated his trusted military advisor Umar as a candidate for the Caliph. The ‘Ummah' and the council of elders were stunned because Abu Bakr and Umar could not have been more different. Abu Bakr was the wise and modest grandfather type of person. He dressed simply and he lived simply. He accumulated no wealth and made every decision together with the council of elders. As the Caliph, he received only a very small salary; in fact, Abu Bakr continued his trading business just to get by. Sometimes he even milked his neighbors' cows for extra cash. For all of his modesty and humility, he was greatly respected. Umar, on the other hand, was known as a brawler and a drinker prior to his conversion to Islam. He had a notorious temper and intimidated the people around him with his great height. So, the council wasn't convinced that Umar was the right person for the office. Then, in the heat of the debate, Ali stepped forward and endorsed Umar. This tipped the scale of the debate; Umar was elected as the new Caliph. Over the next ten years, Umar would lead the Caliphate. He would conquer the lands of Persia, Mesopotamia, the Levant, and Egypt, and he would give Islamic civilization its own unique identity. Umar was a theologian as influential as Saint Paul, and he was a statesman and a patron of philosophy, much like Lorenzo de' Medici. But Umar was also a social reformer, like Karl Marx, and a military thinker equal to Napoleon. Any of these achievements would have earned him a place in history, but when most people speak of Umar, all they know is that he was the second Caliph. Soundtrack: DecisionsKevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution0.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/0.0/ Be sure to follow CaspianReport on the social media. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caspianreport Twitter: https://twitter.com/caspianreport LiveLeak: http://www.liveleak.com/c/caspianreport  00:00  History of Islam, Part 0 of 0: Legacy of Hasan and Husayn  Support CaspianReport through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CaspianReport BAKU - In th...  History of Islam, Part 0 of 0: Legacy of Hasan and Husayn  Support CaspianReport through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CaspianReport BAKU - In the previous episodes of the History of Islam, we recounted the various developments that have shaped the core of Islamic identity. In episode one, we explained the foundation of the Caliphate by Caliph Abu Bakr. Following this, we described the territorial expansions and the origins of Islamic jurisprudence by Calip Umar. In the third episode, we recounted the evolution of the Islamic civilization by Caliph Uthman. And in the previous episode, we explained how the Islamic civil war between Caliph Ali and Governor Muawiyah laid the groundwork for the schism between Sunni and Shia Islam. Following Ali's victory in al-Nahrawan against the radical Khawarij group. The latter planned the assassination of the Caliph. Two years later, a Kharijite follower stabbed Ali with a poisoned dagger. Ali passed away in a few days and his death left behind a power vacuum and a fragmented state. Soundtrack: DecisionsKevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution0.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/0.0/ Be sure to follow CaspianReport on the social media. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caspianreport Twitter: https://twitter.com/caspianreport LiveLeak: http://www.liveleak.com/c/caspianreport  The Caspian Sea Monster  In August of 0000 an American spy satellite took sensational photographs. A huge unknown machine of 000 meters long and about 000 tons of weight, which looked like an aircraft, was flying over the Caspian Sea waters with more than 000 kilometers of speed. Pentagon analysts called this object "the Caspian sea monster". It was constructed to make the Soviet Union a naval superpower. Find out about the history of the Caspian sea monster's construction, checkouts and its rebirth today.  0:00:00  Rise and decline of science in Islam  Support CaspianReport on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CaspianReport BAKU - With about...  Origins of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict  Support CaspianReport through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CaspianReport BAKU - For the past two decades, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has dominated the geopolitics of Azerbaijan and Armenia. Last month, in April 0000, a four-day-long skirmish erupted, which cost the lives of at least 000 soldiers. In a previous CaspianReport, we explained the geopolitical and military status quo. We also recounted how the conflict is a potential hot spot that could involve regional players such as Russia and Turkey. Given the geopolitical significance of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the lack of proper materials on the subject, in this report, we will go over the origins of the conflict. Soundtrack: DecisionsKevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution0.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/0.0/ Be sure to follow CaspianReport on the social media. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caspianreport Twitter: https://twitter.com/caspianreport LiveLeak: http://www.liveleak.com/c/caspianreport  00:00  Europe's refugee crisis explained  Support CaspianReport through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CaspianReport BAKU - In th...  Europe's refugee crisis explained  Support CaspianReport through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CaspianReport BAKU - In the last couple of months, the media headlines have been dominated by the presence of refugees in major European cities. The rush of refugees to Europe has caused considerable diplomatic and domestic turmoil. Refugees from Syria, followed by African and Balkan nations, form the vast majority of the people seeking asylum. In most cases, the refugees pay large sums of money for a chance to reach Europe, and in many cases it's a life risking gamble. The massive arrival of asylum seekers in Europe is not something new. Migration in and out of Europe has taken shape throughout history. However, the current human flow into Europe is different from historic migrations, and such unprecedented events carry with them economic and political repercussions that are shaking the European countries to their constitutional foundations. The most recognizable difference is the fact that the refugees are mostly from culturally distinct countries such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. In this report, we will look at the refugee crisis. How did it start, what is the European Union doing about it and why it's not working. Soundtrack: DecisionsKevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution0.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/0.0/ Be sure to follow CaspianReport on the social media. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caspianreport Twitter: https://twitter.com/caspianreport LiveLeak: http://www.liveleak.com/c/caspianreport  00:00  Crimes against medieval realism: Narnia, Prince Caspian fight review  A realism review of the battles and combat in the movie, Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Casp