Coronavirus Delivers the Latest Devastating Blow to Iranian Regime by Yaakov Lappin Special to IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism The coronavirus pandemic has hit Iran hard, and not only on the health front. The virus has delivered the latest in a succession of blows to the Iranian regime’s domestic status, fractured economy, and already-low…
Many Turkish soldiers killed in Syria: Turkey is exacerbating the crisis Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times According to reports at least 33 Turkish soldiers have been killed in Syria. This is following on from recent tensions between both nations based on Turkey supporting various Takfiri Islamist groups. At the same time,…
The global spread of Coronavirus brings fear to Iran, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and others Sawako Utsumi and Kanako Itamae Modern Tokyo Times The coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis that emanates from Wuhan in China is gradually spreading to other nations. Hence, the international community is still unsure about how the winds will fall. This relates to…
Protests Pose New Challenges to Iranian Regime’s Future by John Rossomando IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism Reaction in Iran to Gen. Qasem Soleimani’s death last month from a U.S. drone strike underscores the weakness and decay of the Islamic Republic. The median age of Iran’s population is 31, so most people have no memory…
Tunisia’s Islamist Parliament Speaker in Hot Water Over Erdogan Meeting by Hany Ghoraba Special to IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism Islamists’ second chance at ruling Tunisia is off to a rough start. Newly-elected Tunisian Parliament Speaker Rachid Ghannouchi, who leads the Muslim Brotherhood-linked Ennahda Party, triggered a political backlash this month by secretly meeting…
The Inconsistencies of Russia’s Policy on Libya Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Pavel Felgenhauer The Jamestown Foundation During the 1970s and 1980s, the Libyan regime of Muammar Qaddafi was Moscow’s ally in the Cold War against the West, and consequently it acquired many billions of dollars’ worth of Soviet weapons. In more recent years, President…
Clashes in Beirut based on the economic crisis and political impasse in Lebanon Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Several months ago the president of Lebanon, Michel Aoun, expressed the need to listen to protesters and the silent masses. This call by the president was based on the visible disillusionment of ordinary…
Calls for U.S. Troop Withdrawal From Iraq Continue as al-Amiri Emerges as Leader of PMU Publication: Terrorism Monitor Volume: 18 Issue: 1 By: Rafid Jaboori The Jamestown Foundation The crisis in relations between the United States and Iraq’s Shia-led government has deepened over the last few weeks and especially after the killing of Iran’s top…
Japan PM to visit Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates: US and Iran Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In a sign that America and Iran are seeking to salvage something positive despite heightened tensions, the leader of Japan will go ahead with his regional visit to the Middle East.…
Canada fears the civilian plane carrying 176 people was downed by Iran Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Canada increasingly fears that the civilian plane that crashed near Tehran may have been shot down accidentally. Suspicions in many quarters were immediately raised given the launching of missiles by Iran on the…
Japan seeks restraint from America and Iran before the planned Self Defense Force mission Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan seeks restraint from America and Iran over the ongoing crisis between both nations. This rupture increased after America killed Qassem Soleimani, the Quds…
Lebanon blighted by internal issues but Hezbollah threatens to embroil the nation for Iran Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Enormous demonstrations have taken place in Lebanon because of mounting economic, political, and social problems. At the same time, political cronyism and the sectarian nature of politics is holding back the hope…
US airstrike takes out Qassem Soleimani of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Iraq Ramazan Khalidov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times President Donald Trump permitted to take out General Qassem Soleimani based on the recent escalation in Iraq. Of course, for Trump, and others in his administration opposed to the actions of Iran, then…
Arab League warns Turkey not to send terrorists to Libya: Sullying of NATO Nuray Lydia Oglu and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Arab League (AL) is nervous about the ambitions of Turkey in escalating an already fragile Libya. This relates to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and his plan to enter…
Egyptian Government Cracks Down on Radical Schools by Hany Ghoraba Special to IPT News Investigative Project on Terrorism Despite the destruction of the Muslim Brotherhood’s hierarchy by Egyptian authorities after the June 2013 revolution, the 91-year-old group remains influential in Egyptian society. This is especially true in its education system. But there are signs the…
Myanmar is a distortion for Islamic and Western nations to hide their crimes: CHT, ICJ, and OIC Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Myanmar is seeking to stabilize the democratic path despite countless ethnic issues that beset this nation, the result of decades of authoritarian rule. At the same time, endless negative…
France points the finger at Turkey for allying with ISIS during NATO talks Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times President Emmanuel Macron of France didn’t mince his words in relation to Turkey and its tacit support of working with ISIS (Islamic State – IS) proxies. This is far from the ideal of…
Many protesters killed by the theocratic state in Iran Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Reports emanating out of Iran and in the wider international community are stating that many protesters have been killed. Yet, the true extent of the crisis is blurred by the theocratic state cutting off the internet and…
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei mocks people in Iran for protesting against poverty Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is known to control an enormous financial empire based on underhanded business practices. Despite this, he is accusing protesters who are facing economic hardship of being “counter-revolutionaries.” Since Friday many Iranians have…
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…
