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…
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…
