Putting Down The Pen: Reflecting On Oryx’s Journey

By Stijn Mitzer

It was the 16th of February 2013, and little did I realise that the next decade would transform Oryx from a remedy for boredom into a project that would consume the majority of my time and energy. I can still recall the joy I felt when the T-72 article garnered 520 views in just several hours, contributing to a total view count of approximately 3500 for the entire blog that month. Fast forward ten years, and Oryx now achieves an average of 250,000 daily views. In the months following my inaugural article, I continued to write about Syria, a country that held my focus until 2017. However, a desire towards greater challenges was always present. My motivation thrives on challenges. Offer me the most difficult subject to analyse. Upon mastering the subject’s intricacies, I seek out the next challenge.

I ultimately discovered my greatest challenge in the analysis of North Korea. Back in the early 2010s, the scarcity of photographs and videos emerging from the country, in stark contrast to the flood of visual content available now, intrigued me. The limited information available, coupled with the abundance of misinformation, arguably made it the most challenging country to analyse. Through a series of articles and our eventual book(s), Joost and I attempted to unravel the mysteries surrounding the Korean People’s Army. Finishing the final pages of the book left me feeling satisfied with North Korea – we had done what we aimed for. We unearthed the answers to our questions. With this challenge resolved, I started looking for another subject that would keep me curious and motivated.

Finding a challenge this time around proved much harder than before. However, the Nagorno-Karabakh War, Türkiye(‘s defence industry) and the Tigray War eventually emerged as subjects that provided me with both analytical satisfaction and the desired level of complexity. Their status as topics that Western analysts scarcely delved into rendered them all the more interesting to me. In contrast to mainstream media, we weren’t confined by the need to generate popular articles and headlines. Instead, we saw this as an opportunity to illuminate underreported conflicts like the Tigray War, the Libyan War and the War in Yemen. Continuously delving into various countries and conflicts kept Oryx fresh for me, but it has also brought me to a place where I feel that I’ve largely covered the subjects I intended to explore. The journey has been a source of pleasure, but it has now arrived at its final destination.

Since late 2021, the act of writing feels repetitive, almost as if I’ve written every sentence before. For me, this realisation serves as a clear sign that it’s time to move on. In fact, I had already contemplated ending Oryx by the spring of 2022, but the Russian invasion of Ukraine infused me with renewed energy to keep going. But 1.5 years later, I have lost my spark. My interest in anything military is fading, and the
constant pressure to keep up with everything is exhausting. I
usually fall asleep with my phone in hand, only to wake up finding
I’ve been sleeping on it. I’m tired of all the death and
destruction. It’s been a whole decade of watching videos of people’s bodies having been torn apart by bombs or parents holding their lifeless newborns who died as a result of armed conflict – it really gets to you.

Over the years I’ve come to realise that, to me, genuine success and happiness are scarcely influenced by popularity, recognition, or even publishing a book. While these achievements hold their own significance, they haven’t truly brought me a sense of pride. My most significant accomplishments involve making those dear to me proud and understanding the essence of happiness at a young age. Oryx has shown me that that true happiness cannot be attained through fame, career accomplishments, or wealth. Despite Oryx gaining recognition – being featured on major TV channels, acknowledged by figures like John McCain and David Petraeus, and with our information used by intelligence agencies – my proudest moment remains being able to write a message in my book I gave to my then girlfriend. You’ve shown me what real happiness looks like T. Nothing could ever surpass that. Thank you for that.

Reflecting on the last decade, I hope that Oryx has and will continue to motivate others to set out on their own journey of analysis and writing. Starting at the age of 17 without ever taking any education in the field of defence or international relations, Oryx can be seen as evidence that great opportunities await those who choose a similar path. What added to the excitement was the interaction with readers on Twitter, which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed over the years. At a certain point, the number of messages became overwhelming, so I want to apologise if you never received a response. I also want to express my sincere appreciation to all those who have offered their assistance in various capacities to Oryx over the years, with a special acknowledgment to Jakub. What began as a childhood interest ignited by buying Buck Danny and Biggles comic strips when I was 8 years old blossomed into a hobby that has far exceeded any reasonable limits. Although I once contemplated a position with an intelligence agency, an offer never came to fruition (perhaps fortunate given their bureaucracy).

Shiawase wa kumo no ue ni – Happiness lies beyond the clouds
Shiawase wa sora no ue ni – Happiness lies up above the sky

PS: Just to clarify, I’m not being sponsored by the Põhjala beer brand – there was a half-price deal for a second bottle at my nearby supermarket. My Dutch spirit remains intact, after all.