It is my firm belief that a civil war similar to the one that happened in the former Yugoslavia will happen in the United States within the decade. Similar but not exactly. It is an extremely unpopular and politically incorrect thing to say but political tensions, peak oil, food shortages, economic collapse and a world rapidly racing toward another world war will all conspire to cause civil unrest then open warfare in an increasingly fractured United States. It is hard to imagine how to prepare for such an eventuality when almost all books, websites and television shows geared toward “survival” are completely devoid of grim reality – many so-called preppers seem to look forward to the coming dark ages that will sweep our planet.

That’s why I was excited to see the legendary Selco offering a course of study called One Year in Hell which thoroughly describes his experience in a failed war-torn state and how he survived living in a city under siege by an army bent on mayhem. He deals with the nitty-gritty of day-to-day survival in a real TEOTWAWKI situation with minimal or no preparations in place. Juxtapose this to the post-Apocalypse fantasy stories that are presented as advice that informs so much in the prepper movement. Everything from procuring supplies to the psychological and physical toll of surviving in a TEOWAWKI environment is covered in a series of audio interviews that are as enlightening as they are soul crushingly depressing.

This audio presentation is the heart of the course and it is an innovation that makes absorbing the information much easier. The audio presentation is done in the form of an interview between Selco and a friend rather than a prepared lecture which allows more in-depth analysis as the interviewer stops Selco to ask questions that would perhaps remained unanswered in a more traditional presentation. It also allows you to “take” the course while doing other things – in my case I listened to the audio while starting seeds for my garden and doing other projects around the house.

The audio is broken down into 30 sections covering a wide range of topics. The first few clips will be of especial  interest to American course takers – this is where Selco talks about life and events leading up to the chaos. I was uncomfortable and saddened to see that many of the things he now knows were warning signs of the coming conflict are happening here.

There are also video presentations for subjects that may need visuals to be fully explained. There’s an excellent video of his home fortifications for example that gives you ample information for how a home should be secured against realistic threats. Reading materials are also provided that give even more detail but frankly the audio portions alone are well worth the $29.95 you pay for access and the course is being added to all the time.

I highly recommend this course to everyone. Preppers are not the only people who would benefit, but those interested in politics and history will find this material eminently useful. Academics, especially those in areas that collect oral histories, will want to add this to their collections as it would make a wonderful teaching resource under the right circumstances.

This is the one site I have found online that is actually worth paying for. Join up now.