Protests in Iraq Represent a Significant Challenge to Shia Militias Publication: Terrorism Monitor By: Rafid Jaboori The Jamestown Foundation Dozens have been killed and hundreds injured in the ongoing wave of street protests in Baghdad and the predominantly Shia provinces of southern Iraq. Protesters are demanding jobs, reform, and a real shake-up of the political…
Protesters in Iraq rebuke Iran with chants of, “Get out, Iran! Free Baghdad!” Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The crisis in Iraq is not abating because protesters demand genuine political change. At the same time, protesters want Iran to keep out of the body politic of Iraq. Equally important, protests have…
President Aoun of Lebanon calls for major political changes but will protesters take heed? Ramazan Khalidov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times President Michel Aoun of Lebanon expressed his concerns about mass demonstrations and the need to listen. Thus, he vowed to form a new emergency government based on expertise and not political or…
State Department Official Demanded Kurds Capitulate to Islamists by John Rossomando IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism First, the United States agreed to withdraw special operations forces from a section of northeastern Syria, opening the door to a Turkish invasion aimed at U.S.-allied Kurdish, Arab and Syriac Christian forces there who played a key role…
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi “Died like a dog. He died like a coward,” declares Trump Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS (Islamic State – IS), was announced dead by President Donald Trump of America. This happened after Special Forces from America went into Northwest Syria after…
Over 40 killed in Iraq by government security forces and Iranian backed militias Ramazan Khalidov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Fresh violence erupted in Iraq after people chanted demands for change in several parts of Iraq. Once more, the disenfranchised called for jobs, hope, and an end to embedded corruption. Yet the…
Iraq Protests Could Help Check Iranian Influence Terrorism Monitor By: Brian M. Perkins The Jamestown Foundation Anti-government demonstrations taking place in Iraq pose a new, precarious challenge for both the United States and Iran as the two countries continue to vie for influence in the region. Tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high after Iran…
Hamas supports Turkey crushing the Kurds and other minorities in Northern Syria Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas announced its support of Turkey during the military offensive of this nation in Northern Syria. This isn’t surprising given the Muslim Brotherhood link that binds President Recep Tayyip Erdogan…
Lebanon seeks to quell mass discontent by approving economic reforms Boutros Hussein and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Enormous demonstrations in Lebanon seem to be shaking up the political elites because this isn’t based on sectarianism; it is based on enormous discontent in all quarters of society. Hence, the coalition government that desires to…
NATO Turkey is bombing the Kurds and others while helping ISIS break free in Syria Ramazan Khalidov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times NATO Turkey is intensifying its attack against the Kurds and other ethnic groups in Northern Syria while the international community just watches. The nations of America, Iran, and the Russian…
Turkey offensive in Syria: Sheepish America, Iran, and Russia but Trump consistency Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of Turkey is laying bare the respective self-interests of America, Iran, and the Russian Federation. Hence, while President Donald Trump is abandoning the Kurds on the ground after the failure of the…
Ethiopia rejects Egypt’s “colonial-era” approach to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Ethiopia is adamant that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will address many past wrongs that hindered this nation from utilizing its own water resources. In other words, the “colonial era” approach of dictating to Ethiopia…
Protests in Iraq leads to more bloodshed: Approaching 100 dead in Iraq Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The crisis in Iraq is intensifying with each new death and now just under 100 people have perished since security forces turned against protesters. In the latest clashes in Baghdad, it is known that…
Many killed in Iraq after security forces kill protestors Jibril Khoury and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Protestors in Iraq have been killed in several parts of mainly Shia areas of this nation. It is believed that at least 20 people have perished but the numbers are likely to be higher. Therefore, while…
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…
Iraqi Prime Minister’s Decree will not Undermine Power of Iran-backed Militias Publication: Terrorism Monitor Volume: 17 Issue: 16 By: Rafid Jaboori The Jamestown Foundation On July 1, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi issued a decree stating that the Iran-backed Iraqi Shia militias that operate under the umbrella group of the Popular Mobilization forces (PMU) should…
Tunisian Islamists Aim for Power After President’s Death by Hany Ghoraba Special to IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism Tunisian Islamists are hoping to return to power in upcoming elections triggered by last month’s death of President Beji Caid Essebsi. And for the first time, the Islamist Ennahda Party has a candidate running. Ennahda, founded…
At least 42 die in Libya after airstrike hits many civilians attending a wedding ceremony Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Another fresh massacre occurred in Libya after at least 42 civilians attending a wedding were killed in the South-Western part of this nation. The airstrike (drone strike) was committed by forces…
A Neighbor’s Dilemma: The Implications of the Libyan Crisis on Tunisia Publication: Terrorism Monitor By: James Pothecary The Jamestown Foundation Introduction In April, paramilitary forces loyal to the Libyan National Army (LNA)—the armed wing of the Tobruk administration—began its campaign to take the capital Tripoli from the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) and…
The tyranny of the state apparatus in Iran that crushes dissent and freedom Murad Makhmudov, Chika Mori, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Iran continues to use the state apparatus in order to crush countless demonstrations that break out from time to time – or individuals who question the validity of theocratic oppression. Hence,…
Qatar Paid for Congressional Democrats’ Doha Trip by John Rossomando Investigative Project on Terrorism Qatar’s Washington embassy paid for six congressional Democrats to visit Doha last December, Al-Monitor reported Friday. U.S. Reps. Ami Bera, D-Calif., Andre Carson, D-Ind., and Dan Kildee, D-Mich., noted the payment in financial disclosure forms. The office of U.S. Rep. Donald…
PM Abe of Japan returns from a pointless visit to Iran: Middle East quagmire Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Shinzo Abe returns to Japan after a pointless visit to Iran that made him look out of touch. Once more, the Japanese Foreign Ministry that is aloof about the real…
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to visit Iran but Saudi Arabia may be displeased? Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan is planning to visit Iran once all arrangements have been made. This especially applies to meeting President Hassan Rouhani of Iran and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Therefore, senior…
Turkish Prosecutor’s Document Suggests Turkey Spying on U.S. Soil by John Rossomando IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism A Turkish prosecution obtained by the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) could offer the first public documentation showing Turkish spying on people in the United States. Turkey has cited information gathered in the 2017 document in a…
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…
Child Marriage in Yemen Seen As a Means of Survival by Abigail R. Esman Special to IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism There was no more money. There was only bread and tea for weeks. There was so much hunger, and so many children. And so the couple agreed to let the man wed their…
Egypt backs counterterrorism measures in Libya: President El-Sisi meets Khalifa Hafter Boutros Hussein and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of Egypt under President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi openly backs counterterrorism measures in Libya. Indeed, with political convulsions emerging in Algeria and Sudan respectively, then Egypt seeks to keep Islamist terrorism and Muslim Brotherhood intrigues…
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…
Protests in Algeria against the interim president: Change or old guard? Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The announcement in Algeria of Abdelkader Bensalah becoming the interim president witnessed fresh potent demonstrations. In truth, it also says much about the gap between the old guard of loyalists toward the late President Abdelaziz…
Army Chief of Staff calls for President of Algeria to be deemed unfit to rule Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaid Salah, the Vice Minister of Defense of Algeria and the Chief of Staff of the People’s National Army, declared that President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is unfit to rule…
Why Egypt Works to Curb Hamas’ Influence in Gaza by Hany Ghoraba Special to IPT News The Investigative Project Egypt’s relations with Hamas have always been turbulent. Hamas was formed in 1987 as a Palestinian offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, and Egypt considers the Brotherhood a terrorist group. But Egypt shares a border by…
Israel and NSO Group: Pegasus spyware found in over 40 nations is alarming journalists Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In 2017, the NSO Group was highlighted by Modern Tokyo Times in relation to its spyware being used against journalists in Mexico. However, despite the negative human rights issue related to this Israeli company, it…
