Crimea Offers Iran Use of Its Ports for Oil Transport Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: John C. K. Daly The Jamestown Foundation Both Iran and Russia suffer from the United States’ sanctions: the former since the 1979 Islamic revolution, the latter since its 2014 illegal annexation of Crimea. But in a recent bout of creative…
Russia Rehearses Multi-Platform Warfare in the Baltic Sea Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Roger McDermott The Jamestown Foundation Russia’s Armed Forces have commenced Okeanskiy Shchit (“Ocean Shield”) 2019 naval exercises in the Baltic Sea, under the direction of the commander-in-chief of the Russian Military-Maritime Fleet (Voyenno-Morskoy Flot—VMF), Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov. The exercises, running from August…
Japanese art and Blackley Forest: The spirit of Judy Doggett Walker and fighting dementia Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The contemporary Japanese artist, Sawako Utsumi, was asked to pay homage to the late Judy Doggett Walker (1934 to 2019) who resided in Manchester, England. Of course, unlike other art pieces by Utsumi, this art…
PM Dmitry Medvedev of Russia rebukes Japan over his visit to the Kuril Islands (Northern Territories) Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev, sharply rebuffed negative comments emanating from political elites in Japan. After all, in the eyes of Medvedev, how can he be…
Japanese artist and her colorful and spiritual nuance of Maurice Utrillo Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Sawako Utsumi is a delightful contemporary Japanese artist who hails from northern Japan. In her latest art piece, she focuses once more on Maurice Utrillo (1883-1955). However, as usual, her nuance to the original by Utrillo is reshaped…
Novatek May Be Carving Out a Bigger Role in Russian Energy Diplomacy Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Rauf Mammadov The Jamestown Foundation Russia’s second-largest natural gas producer, Novatek, which captured the largest share of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) market in Europe in the first quarter of 2019, has sold 20 percent of its planned…
Kurz ousted in Austria despite strong European election showing Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Chancellor Sebastian Kurz of Austria was ousted in a no-confidence vote brought on by the shenanigans of the far-right political party, the Freedom Party (FPO). This happened because the FPO – that is still smarting by Kurz…
Moscow Plans to Expand Canal System Between Caspian and Azov Seas Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Paul Goble The Jamestown Foundation Russia surprised many last year when it used its internal canal system to shift military vessels from the Caspian Sea to the Sea of Azov in order to ramp up pressure on Ukraine (see…
The UK and the “Moriarty game” in Yemen: We bomb you, we maim you, and we help you Michiyo Tanabe, Nawal Soueif, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The crisis in Yemen is highlighting the utter moral bankruptcy of the United Kingdom (UK) government. This equally applies to other leading Western nations and Sunni…
Poetry: Virtue and hope crushed by this cold earth Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In this cold earth are times of my yesteryear Once signs of hope and passing the family key Never to know that the small patter of feet would be taken from thee Age bedeviled my body and mind…
Sterilization of people deemed “unworthy and unfit” from conservative Japan to liberal Sweden Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan acknowledged the brutality of forced sterilizations that inflicted vast numbers of people between 1948 and 1996. Hence, compensation will now be given to victims who suffered greatly…
US and Japan affirm Cybersecurity ties: Japan’s non-Northeast Asian fixation and Russia Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan claims that he desires to solve the protracted territorial dispute with the Russian Federation. Yet, many within the corridors of power in Moscow dispute the sincerity of Japan.…
Leaked Docs Show Qatari Charity Funds MB, Tariq Ramadan in Europe by John Rossomando Investigative Project on Terrorism Tariq Ramadan, grandson of Muslim Brotherhood founder Hasan al-Banna, received €35,000 – roughly $39,290 – per month from the Qatar Foundation as a “consultant,” documents obtained by French journalists Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot show, the Swiss…
Poetry: The ending of life on this cold earth for Judy Doggett Walker Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Once, you gave life to me Hence, when a child, you were my tree of life A rock, a shining beauty, a pure heart I felt protected in my early years Little tears and no…
Russia’s Military Undertaking Growing Role in Creation of ‘Sovereign Internet’ Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Roger McDermott The Jamestown Foundation Russia’s Ministry of Defense has confirmed its involvement in the creation of a “sovereign Internet,” which marks part of its wider efforts to transform its system of military communications. This will involve the Russian military…
Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire through Japanese eyes: Buddhism, Christianity, and Shintoism Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The contemporary Japanese artist, Sawako Utsumi, who hails from Northern Japan, once more creates a lovely art piece. Spiritually, her background is based on Shintoism and tinged with Buddhism based on the cultural legacy. Yet, in general, the…
Lull in Terrorism Masks a Deepening Jihadist Threat, Dutch Report Warns by Abigail R. Esman Special to IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism It’s been a relatively quiet year for jihadists in the West, with only six attacks in Europe, compared to 20 in 2017. This, combined with the military fall of the Islamic State,…
‘Special Outsider’: Russia Joins the Race for Global Leadership in Artificial Intelligence Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Sergey Sukhankin The Jamestown Foundation On February 26, the industrial director of the Rostec State Corporation, Sergey Abramov, declared that work on the fourth generation of the Ratnik future infantry combat system is underway. The system is said…
Are Banking Trojans on the rise? Horace C. White Modern Tokyo Times Banking Trojans increase by 16% in 2018 Moscow-based cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab Solutions has raised an alarm over the skyrocketing number of cyberattacks with popular malware, Banking Trojans. According to the cybersecurity company, Banking Trojans attacked about 889,452 users of its anti-phishing…
The United Kingdom in continuing Brexit mess: PM May in a new major defeat Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Theresa May needs to look long and hard at her standing because once more the House of Parliament delivered a negative vote for the leader of the United Kingdom (UK).…
Another Step Forward Toward ‘Sovereign’ Russian Internet Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Sergey Sukhankin The Jamestown Foundation Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov talked with Russian journalists on Wednesday, February 27, following news reports in the United States claiming that US Cyber Command had actively hacked and briefly taken offline the St. Petersburg–based Internet Research Agency. The…
Cyber defense in Germany should be a serious concern Horace C. White Modern Tokyo Times Has German cyber defense system collapsed? In July 2017, German authorities raised an alarm over increasing cases of cyberattacks on its officials and companies. According to Reuters, German companies have lost billions of euros on industrial espionage. In its 339-page…
Hungary to provide major incentives to help the population grow: Visegrad and Europe Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of Hungary fully understands the need to preserve the cultural and religious identity of the nation. Of course, with nations like the United Kingdom being blighted by endless stabbings in London,…
Ukraine Buys Advanced Turkish Strike Drones Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Yuri Lapaiev The Jamestown Foundation On January 26, Ukrainian State Concern Ukroboronprom announced an agreement between the Turkish company Baykar Makina and Ukraine’s state-owned arms trader Ukrspecexport (part of Ukroboronprom) to procure 12 Bayraktar TB2 operational/tactical-level strike unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for $69 million…
Cyberattacks may force companies to finally assess cyber risks Horace C. White Modern Tokyo Times Mondelez vs. Zurich case turn the spotlight on insurance companies Much as the widely reported NotPetya malware attacks are gradually disappearing from the headlines, its aftermath still holds sway. Apparently, the Mondelez vs. Zurich Case has become a constant reminder…
Arrests in Poland Contribute to the International Controversies Surrounding Huawei By: John Dotson China Brief The Jamestown Foundation Introduction The December 1, 2018, arrest of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou (孟晚舟) in Vancouver—an arrest made by Canadian officials pursuant to a warrant issued in the United States—touched off a three-way diplomatic firestorm between China,…
Emerging EU Policies Take a Harder Look at Chinese Investments By: Ashley Feng, Sagatom Saha China Brief The Jamestown Foundation Like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), foreign direct investment (FDI) from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) now has a much broader reach than Beijing’s own backyard. It is well-known that Washington is actively…
Google slammed for GDPR violation by the European UnionHorace C. White Modern Tokyo Times Google becomes the first victim of GDPR On Friday, May 25, 2018, customers of tech-based companies received loads of email, notifying them that their service providers would be updating their Privacy Policy. Indeed, these companies were reacting to the deadline issued…
Poetry and the liberals will reap what they sow: The Toad Fears the Death Knell of Europe Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The toad did not fear death On the contrary, the fear was not resting on his native soil Every day another ship arrives and ruins his paradise Feeling forlorn, the toad moves…
Esaias van de Velde by modern Japanese artist: Legacy of Dutch Art Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Another stunning art piece by the Japanese artist, Sawako Utsumi, is illuminated by the unique angle and a delightful color scheme to the original done by Esaias van de Velde. In the past, the same artist who…
Germany is endangering democracy: More surveillance of the democratic AfD political party by the BfV Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times If irony wasn’t ironic, then the German government and the intelligence agency will increase its surveillance of a major opposition party. Of course, the leadership of Chancellor Merkel is responsible for…
Nationalist party in Germany threatened by “Progressive Violence:” Frank Magnitz attacked Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany opened up a can-of-worms by allowing vast numbers of fake refugees – fused with genuine refugees – entering this nation. The consequences of Merkel’s chaotic policy in disregarding vast sections…
