Sitemap - 2024 - Dispatches with Hollie McKay

DISPATCHES on Parenting Across Cultures Full Season One

Personal Reflections: End of Year, the Illusion of the Grind and a Personal Journey to a Simpler Life

Video Out Now... Sudan’s Civil War: Crisis Spilling Over Chad’s Border

A Tenuous Christmas: The Future of Christians in Syria

DISPATCHES: Icelandic Roots: Single Motherhood and Family Life in the Land of Fire and Ice

Top Ten Humanitarian Crises to Watch in 2025

Syria's Kurdish Issue Ignites as U.S. and Turkish-Backed Forces Clash

The Death of the Shia Crescent: Iran Faces Strategic Setback as Assad Regime Falls

600 Dead, World Silent: Terrorist Attack in Burkina Faso

DISPATCHES: Motherhood, Cancer, and Career with German New Yorker Nadja Atwal

Why More Women Are Taking Combat Roles Worldwide

The Emerging, Uncomfortable Questions in Syria's Post-Assad Power Struggle

Empathy Is Not Finite: A Wake-Up Call in the Aftermath of Brian Thompson’s Murder

Syria's Regime Falls: A Turning Point for Refugees?

The Forgotten Wars: Conflicts That Don’t Make Headline News

DISPATCHES: Balancing Business and Babies: From Ireland to China to Sri Lanka to Vietnam

Inside the Atmosphere of Newly Captured Syria

But how do I help? A Gift-Giving Guide for Impactful Charitable Giving

The Gangs Running Haiti

DISPATCHES: Fatherhood, Conflict, and Mental Health in Crisis inside Cameroon

Rebels Take Aleppo: What This Means for Syria’s Future, and How it Implicates the U.S

Global Trust Shaken: Abuse Claims and Funding Gaps Haunt UN Peacekeeping Efforts

Why Mexico Faces Major Obstacles in Meeting Trump's Demands to Tackle the Cartels

DISPATCHES: What I Saw in Africa...The Hell That is Darfur

The Difference Between Deterring a War and Funding It

A High-Stakes Tale of Betrayal and Corruption

What Trump's Win Means for the Middle East

DISPATCHES: From U.S. Army Ranger to Emergency Room Doctor: All Things School Shootings to Maternal Mortality

Darfur Refugees Unfathomable Struggle

What Became of the Wagner Group

DISPATCHES: Iraqi-Christian Father on Surviving a Deadly Terrorist Attack on his Honeymoon and Raising a Son with Assyrian and American Values

The Distance Between Those Who Declare War and Those Who Fight It

The Myth of Infallibility: How Aung San Suu Kyi’s Silence Reveals the Dangers of Hero Worship

DISPATCHES: From the Battlefield to Fatherhood: A Conversation with Kris "Tanto" Paronto

DISPATCHES: Rebecca Deng's Harrowing and Hope-Filled Journey from Sudan

War of Words: English Speakers Targeted in Escalating Cameroonian Conflict

What is going on in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

September Roundup: Revisiting Cultural Offense, Celebrating Motherhood, and Whatever Happened to Deposed Afghan Leaders and their Money

DISPATCHES: Life Beyond the Headlines... A Father Raising Two Young Girls Under Taliban Rule

Are Some Human Lives Worth More than Others?

What is going on with the Sinaloa Cartel and Fentanyl Flow Since Mayo's Arrest

The Pod: From Rural Queensland to China, Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia: Raising Daughters Across Cultures and Fostering Empathy

Why people don't evacuate bombings and natural disasters

The Dizzying Rise of Maternal and Infant Mortality in Haiti

The Pod: A Half-German, Half-Chinese Mom Raising Four Kids Across Europe, Almost Two Decades Apart

Reflections on the Hurricane Helene Aftermath and Finding Light in the Darkest Corners

How Many Times Has the U.S. Formally Declared War and When Was the Last Time? You Might Be Surprised.

The Pod: The Daughter of a Child Bride in India

The Taliban's Latest Decree to Silence Women and Where Are the Men in the Protests?

China wants you to turn away. But we need to talk about Tibet.

The Pod: Post-War Philippines to American Dream: A Father's Journey

Doing What's Right: When Cultural Offense is Necessary for Justice

Navigating Motherhood and Global Work: A Year of Love, Challenge… And a Special Project Announcement

Insider View: Why has India's Modi shifted policy to support Israel?

Over 83,000 American Military Personnel Missing: The Enduring Toll of War

Guest Article: My Daily Life Under Taliban Rule

The Dark Reality of Organ Trafficking: What to Look For

Running for Their Lives: The Tragic Femicide of Female Athletes

August 2024 Dispatch Round-Up

Inside My Travels...

Three Years After the U.S. Exit: Afghanistan’s Leadership and the Mystery of America’s Missing Millions

A Tribal Court in Pakistan Gave Permission for Men to Gang Rape a Young Woman. What She Did Next is Jaw Dropping.

Grappling with Drought and Starvation, Namibian government orders the killing of elephant, rhinos, zebras, and hippos for meat

The Re-Making of Indian PM Modi's Foreign Policy: Russia versus Ukraine

Taliban's Shadow: Is Afghanistan Incubating the Next Terrorist Threat?

Tens of Thousands of American Horses are Still Being Slaughtered Every Year for Sushi and Fancy Meals Abroad

Promise and Peril: How AI Will Transform the Way We Fight Wars

Darfur: This is Hell on Earth

What happened to Afghanistan’s poppy cultivation under the Taliban, and which country is now the world’s leading heroin producer

Why the World Can't Solve Famine Despite Massive Food Waste

Young Lives Shattered: Remembering Afghanistan and Hazara Tragedy

What You Need to Know About Escalating NATO/Russia/China Tensions in the Arctic

Rising Tensions in Bangladesh: Why Some Are Blaming Pakistan for the Unrest

The Ghost of My Lai Haunts But There is a U.S. Soldier's Name To Remember for the Right Reasons

Beyond the Balance Sheet: The Unseen Influence of the Top Three Wall Street Power Players on War and Defense

The Enigma of Gitmo: Life Inside America's Most Controversial Prison

July '24 Round-Up: Suicide Bombers, Afghan Child Abuse, Venezuela, and NATO Spending

In the Shadow of Sinjar: A Decade of Trauma and Resilience

Why the Netherlands Showed Little Concern About Sending a Convicted Child Rapist to the Olympics

Echoes of Venezuela: Will El Mayo's Arrest Pulverize the Sinaloa Cartel?

What Asian Country Has the Sudden Interest of Russia, China and the US?

China's Doping Cover-Up: A Stain on the Olympics

Venezuelan Election: A Turning Point for Democracy or Continuation of Autocracy

The Importance of Fair Share Contributions in NATO and Who Isn’t Paying Up

Why Boko Haram Deploys Female Suicide Bombers And Who These Women Are

Afghanistan's Most Storied Survivor is a Zoo Lion

Uneven Spotlight: Why Some Wars Get More Coverage Than Others

Trump vs. Biden: A Non-Partisan Comparison of Their Foreign Policy Views

Lost and Forgotten: The Plight of Children at the Border Should Unite Us, Not Divide Us

Want to know the secrets to life as a war photographer?

The one thing a Taliban fighter said to me that changed my perspective of the war

Remembering the U.S. Marines Killed at Kabul Airport, the Chilling Identity of the Assailant and the Lack of Accountability

Reflections on what the United States stand for…

Paris on High Alert: Russia Threatens Olympics with Sabotage, Cyberattacks and Disinformation Campaigns

The Heartbreaking Truth of Bacha Bazi in Afghanistan: A Missed Opportunity

Peru's President And Members of Her Government Accused of Crimes Against Humanity

Flashpoint South China Sea: Are We on the Brink of War?

Rebels Amputated the Limbs of Small Children in the Sierra Leone War – And Few Were Ever Held to Account

The Leahy Law: Behind the U.S. Struggle to Balance Security Interests with Human Rights

Tracking China's Nuclear Build-Up: A Cause for Concern?

Global Executions Reach Eight-Year High: Which Countries Are the Worst Offenders?

Understanding the law of "proportionality” in armed conflict

Raw Reflections: War Reporting, Motherhood and the Empathy Struggle

Inside the Mind of a Dictator’s Wife…

May '24 Round Up

A Decade Later: The Fate of the Chibok Girls

Why Egypt Doesn't Allow Gazans in Need to Cross its Border

From Victim to Survivor to Advocate: How a couple in Puerto Rico are fighting the government for more accountability against sexual assault

The UN is paying tribute to the late Iranian President Raisi today. This is disgusting.

The shocking reality about gun prosecution in New York City

Why Killing Children (or any civilian) in War Isn't Always Illegal According to International Law

Are Majority of PTSD Cases Actually "Moral Injury"?

The Butcher of Iran: Who was President Ebrahim Raisi?

Tennessee will allow death penalty for child rape beginning July 1

Inside Washington’s Quiet, Long-Running Campaign to Prosecute Refugees Guilty of Horrific Wartime Abuses

Hidden Cost: This is how many civilians the DoD admits to inadvertently killing over the past five years

A Shadow on Motherhood: Obstetric Violence Around the World

Iraq Plays Double Game Balancing US, Iran Relations

Admin’s Note: Independent Journalism Needs Your Help More Than Ever

Is U.S. Foreign Aid a Waste? Here's the Deal

My advice on how you can make a difference in the world

Pentagon's AI Revolution: Transforming Warfighting for the Future

A Quick Reminder of What Constitutes as a War Crime

China may have been betting on Russia’s loss in the Ukraine War All Along. Here’s why.

The State of Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program

Everyone loses in war. Except for these people.

Words that Never Leave You: “My mother was my first country.”

Searching for Solutions to America's Failed War on Drugs

More and more friends started receiving cancer diagnosis younger and younger. I was determined to find out why.

Words that Never Leave You: “There is no such thing as imagined pain. If you feel the pain, it is real.”

Video: Talking About "The Dictator's Wife"

How deep do Chinese cyberattacks against the U.S. run?

A different perspective: why you might not want to join the push to shut down sweatshops

Words that Never Leave You: “We need reconciliation, and the key to that is peace and justice. We are just farmers and cattle keepers, and we don’t want to fight.”

The genocide nobody is talking about

Child Labor in the United States is Rising

Words that Never Leave You: “My dream is to dream of a future.”

My New Book Available for Pre-Order! “The Dictator's Wife”

I've covered dozens of countries and conflicts. This is by far the worst things I've ever heard.

Words that Never Leave You: “You don’t have to love them right away. You can learn to love somebody.”

Hezbollah is in our backyard. Should anyone care?

The Scary Truth about Factory Farming (At the Taxpayers’ Expense)

Words that Never Leave You: “We cry and mourn for forty days. And then on the forty-first day, the sun rises again.”

Iran has successfully hacked America's water supply: What You Should Know

Stop claiming that ISIS wives are victims

Words that Never Leave You: “You’re a guest in a warzone. You should eat what you are given.”

VIDEO: Iranian Militias, US Troops at Risk, Houthi Proxy War plus Stretching and Taylor Swift

Unsung Hero: Doctor's Quiet Sacrifice Saves Syrian Boy's Life During Traumatic Flight to US

What is Behind Russia's Ability to Sustain Military Power Despite Heavy Losses

Words that Never Leave You: “I am tired. But not tired enough.”

"The Widowmaker": Decoding the Secrets of the U.S. Military's Most Dangerous Aircraft

The richest country in the world can’t afford subsidized healthcare – but it can waste over $900 billion a year on DoD lobster tanks and promoting Egyptian tourism

Words that Never Leave You: “Zero F**ks.”

When Russia invaded Ukraine and why it was the one time I felt ashamed to be a journalist

What it takes to survive Africa's Most Wanted Warlord Joseph Kony

Words that Never Leave You: “How comfortable are you with being uncomfortable?”

This is why we care more about animals suffering in conflict than humans

"The Drug of Jihad" is creating a dangerous strain of "super soldiers."

Words that Never Leave You: “When well-loved, there is nothing that cannot be healed.”

Does The Super Bowl Really Bring About A Massive Uptick In Sex Trafficking? Not so fast.

Tea with the Houthis and clarifying their "Death to America" slogan

Words that Never Leave You: “What can we do? This is the life here.”

Do you see a need for U.S. troops to stay in Iraq and Syria?

Stretching. My secret tool to stay sane as an anti-war war reporter.

Words that Never Leave You: "If you can do the work, you should do the work. And if you do the work, it will matter."

My conversation with an Iran-Backed Militia Leader Plotting Revenge On America

Why Taylor Swift once wrote me a letter, how I coaxed Mila Kunis to the US Marine Corps Ball and the time my interview ended up a "Jeopardy" question

This is how ordinary people become extraordinary in times of war

Words that Never Leave You: “It is like heaven. I don’t believe I live here.”

If human trafficking is so rampant in the United States, why does it never seem to end up in court?

Wait. Just how widespread is child sex trafficking in the United States?

Unveiled: This is how China recruits ordinary citizens to spy

Words that Never Leave You: “They already took everything from me. They don’t get to take the rest of my life.”

Iran, Russia and North Korea together behind closed doors. It should worry you.

The one piece of controversial career advice I would tell my younger self

Shame on the UN: it only matters when certain populations are targeted with rape as a weapon of war

Words that Never Leave You: "I had never protested anything in my life. And yet this became the most exhilarating, empowering situation I had ever been in."

We turned our attention to China and Russia. And then terrorism returned.

A U.S. Marine led a fire team into Fallujah. The battlefield led him into becoming a professional ballet dancer.

Words That Never Leave You: “You won the lottery. You were born into freedom. We have to fight; we have to earn it.”