Greater Middle EastBoard

帝国日本だより | Teikoku Nihonda yori | News from Imperial Japan

Kariyushi Club goes National / LDP devolves into further chaos

After the snap election was called by Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, he had expected for the members of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan to begin reconciling via their consensus on Abe's handling of COVID-19. However, much to his surprise & chagrin. The LDP has only further devolved into chaos as some members disagreed with how Abe handled it. Pointing to the budget that was passed a while ago which centered around economic initiatives and loans to turn around Japan's economic slump. In addition, some members criticized Abe's foreign policy contradiction in recent times. Viewing his recent actions that have brought Japan more in line with China as contradictory to his more right-wing & nationalistic rhetoric he had spouted previously.

To make matters worse, while all of this occurred. The Kariyushi Club, previously a small party which advocated for the independence of the Okinawa Islands, was taken over by the Left in Japan. Intense negotiations followed & eventually, several independents & even former Democratic Party members flocked in droves to the alliance. One individual, Natsuki Subaru, is believed to be the reason behind this. Described as very charismatic & politically cunning. He was named as the Prime Minister ticket for the Kariyushi Club. Even figures like Katsuya Okada & Yoshihiko Noda were convinced to support Subaru in his bid for Japan.

Further irritating Abe, the N-Koku led by Takashi Tachibana has used his platform to continue to take shots at Abe & the LDP. Classical Tachibana simply swooping in to meme on Abe.

All of this would culminate in rumors leaking that Abe was considering resignation. Although no credible evidence was found to substantiate such rumors, Abe himself remained silent on the possibility. Many taking this as a sign that they held some hint of truth. A resignation during such a critical time could see the LDP become ever more weakened, & continue to pave the way for the possible victory of the Kariyushi Club. An outcome which would only be rivaled by the 2009 election in which the LDP had lost their grip of control for the first time in Japanese history.

What would any of this hold for Japan? How would voters lean? All of this would be on the minds of the Japanese people as the political scene continues to shift. Although a victory by the Kariyushi Club, heavily influenced by the Left, could see a radical transformation of Japan politically. Especially at a time when the Nationalist shadow of Japan has seen it's historical popularity (due to the alternate events in this TL) begin to decrease.

"天皇陛下をお迎えください！日本に栄光を！ | Ten'nōheika o o mukae kudasai! Nihon ni eikō o! | Hail His Divine Majesty the Emperor, Glory to Japan!"

Special Thanks: Much of the work, research, & confirmation of this post was coordinated & done overwhelmingly with Sae daehan jeguk. Epic thanks for the help (especially since my Japanese is in its very very early stages)

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ENA - Emirate News Agency - Dubai
Emerati Investors
July 26th, 2020

The UAE has invested in many countries on every continent, from their large presence in the Horn of Africa to the $50bn that they have invested in the development of rural India. The UAE, either as private citizens or the government themselves, they are set on helping nations around the world with developing their nations.

Recently in Central America, the richest company in the UAE, Abu Dhabi first bank, has bought the rights to a football stadium in the city of Port-au-Prince. The stadium will seat up to 45k people and will be built to accommodate local transport and cars in the parking lot. The stadium will also contain luxury suite seats with air conditioning, minibars, and other high-end options.

The Abu Dhabi first bank has contracted local Dubai construction firm Al Futtain to construct the stadium. They will hire locals as well as sub-contract to local Haitian firms to help in the construction of the stadium. The expected cost for the stadium is $200 million and construction will start mid-August.

The Foreign Minister of the UAE, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has announced $45 million dollars of investment into the Tajikistani healthcare system, which only accounted for 1% of their GDP. This money will be put forth to by necessary medical supplies needed to run proper medical facilities.

The UAE government will also expedite the process of obtaining work visas for the Tajikistani people, as almost 45% of the Tajikistani GDP is from remittances. The government will also encourage the hiring of Tajikistanis in state-owned businesses.

Mentions

Central American Alliance
Tajik-stan

الحركه - Harakah in English

Preparations for Eidul Adha

27 July 2020
6th Zulhijjah 1441 AH

Bandar Pulai: The city is currently setting up eid decorations around the central business district as well as the Malay cultural district. With festive lights being displayed citywide, the tradition have been celebrated for many years nationwide.

Eid Adha is the most important festivals to all Muslims. It follows the completion of the yearly pilgrimage of Hajj, which every Muslim have to participate once in a lifetime.

Despite the darkness spent during Eidul Fitr, with the lockdown and quarantine due to COVID-19, Pulaians nationwide will always find their way to celebrate the Eid festivities. Colourful lights can be seen along national roads going through villages, as well as suburbs of Bandar Pulai and Kuala Lumpur. The sacrifice of animals can be conducted in mosques and community centres in villages.

With the travel ban extend beyond Kra, Siam and Indonesia, the yearly pilgrimage of Hajj has been canceled. Social gatherings can now be hold. The COVID-19 situation in Pulai has been stable for the past month, with no new cases for 2 weeks.

Eid Adha will be on the 10th of Zulhijjah, which will be on this coming Friday. Mosques nationwide will conduct the Eid prayers with strict health and safety regulations in place to avoid a second wave.

-Harakah 27 July 2020

News from the United States

U.S. Space Capabilities: The Evolving Frontier

With the formation of the Space Force as an independent branch in December 20th, 2019. Space returned to the minds of Americans all over the country. Would America continue its dominance into the far-reaching galaxy? Well it would seem Elon Musk hasn't gotten the U.S. to Mars yet but the U.S. Military has continued to utilize space as a new area of dominance. This comes at a time when America continues to make progress on the SBIRS GEO-5 & GEO-6. The SBIRS GEO Flight-4, launched around mid-2018, has several capabilities which allow the U.S. to retain a dominant presence within the new frontier:

"Equipped with powerful scanning and staring infrared surveillance sensors, the satellite collects data for use by the U.S. military to detect missile launches, support ballistic missile defense, expand technical intelligence gathering and bolster situational awareness on the battlefield."

This is only further bolstered by the fact that the Pentagon has been considering the role of AI in warfare as the U.S. moves forward. All of this culminates in the far-reaching technological capabilities of the U.S. today. But aside from all the talk of the military. The U.S. has considered the environmental potential of Space. As the U.S. puts effort into it's Defense Support Program's infrared sensors as part of an early warning system for natural disasters.

As the United States moves forward in all of it's glory. It will continue to expand & dominate the galaxy which God gifted it.

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The Epic Technology of the United States

Although America may be focusing some attention on Space. Much of the Military still remains centered on Earth. The U.S. Military continues to move forward with its ever-expanding anti-missile capabilities in 2020 to rival those of China & Russia. This can be seen within the unveiling of the LRDR or Long Range Discrimination Radar. A Radar based in Alaska which was developed by Lockheed Martin for hundreds of millions of dollars.

Sources have described the radar as, "a Gallium Nitride (GaN)-based, solid-state Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) early-warning radar, that allows for continuous coverage, even when it is undergoing maintenance. The radar consists of individual solid state radar blocks that can be combined to scale up the size of the radar." The radar is believed to be a part of the greater U.S. Ground-Based Midcourse Defense anti-ballistic missile system.

Now, this may look cool. But America doesn't stop at one. Another system that is being developed is the MEADS or Medium Extended Air Defense System. A system which the U.S. is looking to use to replace it's aging Patriot Missile System. The system is believed to be a major stepping stone in further bolstering U.S. security in conjunction with NATO allies. But, think this is enough? Of course not!

Next we look at the AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar. A radar that is in active service with the U.S. Marine Corps. This radar is marketed as having the following:

"This multi-mission air surveillance system can detect, identify and track airborne threats common to combat environments. These include cruise missiles, aircraft and remotely piloted vehicles, as well as rocket, artillery and mortar fire.

The long-range, high-performance AN/TPS-80 replaces five of the Marine Corps' single-mission radars with one multi-mission system, reducing cost and complexity while streamlining training. It consolidates the air surveillance, air defense and counterfire target acquisition missions of the AN/TPQ-46, UPS-3, AN/TPS-63, AN/MPQ-62 and AN/TPS-73 into one package with radar, power and communications elements."

All of this simply serves to illustrate the technological edge the United States continues to pursue over it's competitors in 2020. Whether it be space or the ground. The United States is not an adversary to take lightly.

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Central America: The Hispanic Partner

Although the U.S. has had a tumultuous relationship with the Hispanic Nations in the Americas. One Nation which continues to be a source of steady friendship & support is Central America. The Nation which encompasses much of the Caribbean & as the namesake suggests, Central America, is a key U.S. Partner.

A hallmark of the relationship between America & Central America is the U.S. Foreign Aid Program to it's Hispanic Partner. The U.S. is believed to send approximately $1.5 billion annually to assist the country in any way, shape or form. In addition, Central America is believed to be a key partner with the U.S. Military.

The U.S. Jaguar Project, long believed to be dead, resurfaced in Central America. The tank is believed to be a good, albeit more outdated pick for the Central American Military. In addition, the Central American Military picked up 50 M1 Abrams of an older variant in 2016.

All of this illustrates the key relationship between the United States & Central America. A relationship which will only continue to be enhanced as the U.S. Navy is expected to conduct a naval exercise in the following weeks with the Central American Navy.

Tag: Central American Alliance

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American involvement in Sahuria

Tag: Wadiiya

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President Trump warns against China withdrawing from the NPT

Quote

Zhen dynasty wrote:

Zhen Dynasty Considers Withdraws from NPT

The Board of Rites, in June of 2020, had announced that it would be withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, following calls among hardline orators that the limits placed upon the country by this treaty make the Zhen’s nuclear deterrent ‘essentially useless’.

Currently, the Board of War maintains control of 290 warheads, with the cumulative TNT equivalent of its strategic arsenal being 294 MT. However, it pales in comparison to what other nuclear powers have - France has 280 warheads, the US has 3,800, India has 150, Russia with 6,800, and Pakistan 160. Cumulatively, the PA itself has over 7,000 nuclear warheads - however, with no plans for a nuclear umbrella in sight, and with a majority of the warheads located in Russia, the Zhen has found itself at a position where it is open for attack. To pose a larger deterrent, the Board of War has made plans to modernise and reactivate all 610 nuclear warheads the country has produced since 1964, and increase its arsenal to a size of 690 warheads if there are emergent threats to national security.

Upon the inauguration of the new National Assembly, the Board of War will make plans to vote the proposal through. If the Zhen’s withdrawal is ratified through domestic legislation, the Zhen will formally withdraw from the NPT in September. The government has expressed that “it would value input from credible sources on its next course of action”, hinting at the possibility that it could potentially reconsider its stance.

After the news broke about the Zhen expressing interest in reactivating hundreds of nukes & withdrawing from the NPT, President Trump warned against such an idea. He stated,

"The Chinese want to set off a nuclear race simply because they feel insecure? No. We won't stand for it. Simple. They said it themselves. Russia & China together have a larger number of nukes than the United States. Even Russia, alone, has more nukes. But you're telling me the Chinese need hundreds more? No. Simply no. We will not let the Chinese think they can act like North Korea."

After the announcement, several U.S. politicians came out to lambast the Chinese for their "reckless" comments or "belligerent" position. Even Democrats, typically ready to oppose Conservative rhetoric, were noticeably silent on the matter with some moderates breaking with the Party & joining Conservatives in condemning Zhen.

Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo urged the Zhen to abandon the idea in the interest of maintaining peace & stability.

Tag: Zhen dynasty

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The Chinese Lie

Recently, the Chinese have involved themselves in world affairs to a great extent. Intervening in the Burmese conflict, vetoing a U.S. authored U.N. resolution aimed at setting up a NATO peacekeeping mission within Burma for humanitarian purposes, having their own resolution to dissolve the U.N. Monusco Mission vetoed by the U.S., & more. However, many Americans still remember China as being the source of COVID-19. The COVID virus has continued to devastate America in both infection / death rates & economic impact. In addition, the virus has been the source behind the contentious decision to lockdown several American cities.

All of this has culminated in China being the top source of hatred amongst Americans in recent times. President Trump's anti-China platform has benefitted immensely from this anger. Many Americans rallying behind him just as they did in 2016 against China. On FOX, political commentator Tomi Lahren stated,

"The Chinese were the source of Corona. Quite literally, they are the reason why we are suffering so much right now. President Trump should intensify the trade war! Ridiculous. Besides, we have other people that deserve our business much more!"

Lahren would be backed up by noted Xenophobe Laura Ingraham who said,

"Of course the Far-Easterners give us a virus. Remind me where the Black Death originated from?"

Famous commentators Sean Hannity & Tucker Carlson added on to the conversation with,

S: "Chinese need to pay us in damages for this ridiculous virus. But they won't. They're too busy lining Democrat pockets with their fake currency."

T: "We were foolish enough to let them take us by surprise once. Never again! Lets strike back!"

But this was further exacerbated when, in a surprising move, Steven Crowder supported the opinions espoused by Fox,

"See, the Chinese have this misbegotten notion that they do no wrong. Which is naturally a farce. They invaded Myanmar under the pretext of punishing Myanmar for supposed human rights abuses. Where is the documentation of this? Please don't tell me they are using the U.N. as their source when they argued against the U.N. in Africa. Records on the Security Council meeting over the U.N. in Africa reveals that the Chinese accused the U.N. if being inefficient & corrupt in Africa. So which is it? Is the U.N. credible & efficient or are they corrupt? Please, I think the KGB were more credible than these people. Not to mention, weren't these the same people who took down an entire satellite in Burma? Yeah, that's totally helping the people.

Then they continue to claim that somehow they can take care of the average Burmese person. Are you kidding me? No they can't. How are the Chinese going to take care of them when they are literally engaging in space warfare? Get out of here! Don't even get me started on the plan these people have for the Burmese people when the war is over. But, in the midst of all of this. The Chinese want to take shots against us? For what? Deploying our brave troops to try & help the people? Not to mention, now the Communist Thais are intervening? Great. China & co are getting involved for their political interests. Please, accuse us of political wrongdoing when you aren't shrouded entirely in it!

Now hold on, why do the Chinese continue to make this assumption we are there to back the Burmese Government? We are taking on terrorists & ACTUALLY helping the average Burmese person. The Chinese stuck their fingers into Burma for their own political interests. But, of course, they ignore this to prop up anti-American sentiment. Ridiculous.

PLEASE! You want to point fingers? Why don't you clean your dirty hands first! Absolutely ridiculous. What credibility do they have to stand on when they invaded Burma? This is like us condemning their mission in the Congo. The Chinese are hypocrites. Change my mind."

Steven Crowder's fiery speech found much acclaim amongst his viewers. With his speech gaining a major following in days. While this transpired, the Asian American Commission came out to condemn the hateful statements promulgated by FOX & Crowder. Stating,

"Their hateful comments will only add to the vitriol going around now. In the aftermath of Floyd, I had hoped America had grown past such racist behavior."

The AAC disavowed any statements aimed at Asians whether they be Chinese or not. The AAC believed that the actions of the Chinese Government should not come to reflect the opinions or actions of the average Asian or Asian American. However, this did not receive much celebration. With many in the comments posting tags such as, "Century of Lies!" / "The Deceitful Dynasty of China!" / "Down with the Zhen!"

Tag: Zhen dynasty

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CNN: The Unseen Face of Myanmar

Anderson Cooper had travelled to Burma for the past couple of weeks to get a personal look into the conflict. Wishing to illustrate the impact of the war on the average Burmese person. He had gathered hours of footage & interviews with Burmese people to condense into a documentary with subtitles & or translators for viewers who were not fluent in the native Burmese dialect. Coopers experience in South East Asia coming in handy for the job.

The Documentary showcased Burmese refugees in areas which had seen heavy fighting. Whether it be between the Tatmadaw & Pattaya Alliance or the Tatmadaw with terrorists. The Burmese people on the ground had been disproportionately impacted by such events. Cooper classified them as refugees due to the fact that they had often been displaced from their homes & were looking to flee Burma for neighboring countries in the hopes of securing a sanction of safety. Despite efforts by the Pattaya Alliance to assist the people impacted, as some people told Cooper of Chinese soldiers bringing in food for certain refugees. Much of this fell short as the sheer amount of people impacted, & the rigorous terrain within Burma often made it far more difficult to get aid to people.

From the interviews, many people expressed a desire for the conflict to end. They told stories of the terrorists resurging in the aftermath of the Pattaya Alliance intervention. But what shattered Cooper was the stories of families suffering from the war. Cooper himself stated,

"I urge the Burmese Government & Pattaya Alliance to come to an agreement. These innocent people are suffering for the crimes of the suits in Government."

The documentary found many a victim to showcase the devastating face of the war. CNN International broadcasting it on American channels once received. CNNI also promoted the documentary several times on their social media.

Tag: Zhen dynasty / Peoples union of bengal / Seri sayam / The Great Expanses

ENA - Emirate News Agency
Serbian Meetings
July 27th, 2020

Yesterday and today representatives from the Republic of Serbia, Foreign Minister Hana Adrović and Business Minister Branko Milanović and their associates, met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and leaders of several Emirati businesses.

The Serbian Foreign Minister met with the Crown Prince in Abu Dhabi to discuss matters of foreign affairs. They touched upon such topics of international organizations, politics of the Middle East, and furthering relations between the two nations.

In Dubai, the Serbian Business Minister met with three moguls in the Verge Khalifa owned by one of the men he met, Mohamed Alabbar. The Serbian delegation met with the companies of Eagle Hills, Etihad Airways, Al Dahra, along with other Emirati business representatives.

In the meeting with Eagle Hills, a construction company building and funding the 4 billion dollar project the Belgrade Waterfront, the company agreed to buy from Serbian Suppliers and sub contract to local Serbian companies for the construction project.

During the meeting with Etihad Airways, a 49% owner in Air Serbia, they agreed to rent airplanes not in use due to the COVID-19 pandemic in order to help the company achieve enough profit to pay off a previous loan from Etihad Airways.

The last meeting held with Al Dhara, an Agribusiness conglomerate who bought the Serbian agribusiness company PKB, the company agreed to buy land to convert into low-income housing and other infrastructure projects for the people who work for PKB. They also agreed to invest into new milk and other agriculture technologies with the help of the Serbian Government in subsidies and promotion.

The Serbian Business Minister also discussed other possible future projects and expansions with the other businesses that attended the meeting.

The Crown Prince has this to say after the meetings, “It was a pleasure to meet with the delegation from Serbia. With their strategic location in Europe, the improvement of ties is key to the opening of the greater European market. Though we do not see them as just a stepping stone, we see them as a key partner for the future betterment of each other’s nations.”

Mentions

Dvaistic Republic of Serbia

Danas,
30.07.2020.
19:00 - Belgrade

LEADERS OF THE LARGEST NON-PARLIAMENTARY PARTIES MET WITH PRIME MINISTER AND LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION TO DISCUSS ELECTIONS LAWS

Despite the constant feeling of nervousness coming from the EU leadership regarding Serbian elections laws, not much has changed for the last two decades. Serbia is among the most conservative political systems when it comes to these laws, making it practically impossible to enter the parliament if you're not a member of either Democratic Party (DS) or Social Democratic Party (SDP), two largest parties which dominate political life in Serbia since the fall of communism. Third but smaller Demochristian Party of Serbia (DHSS) has had minor representation as a sister party of DS, but that coalition fall apart in 2017 and since then DHSS also went out of the National Assembly.

By staying out of parliament, Serbian political parties are left without any financial support from the national budget, which makes it extremely hard for them to even survive. Starting from 2004, when Serbia joined the European Union, officials from Brussels have multiple times raised concerns on the problem of representative democracy in Serbia, but they were always pacified by Belgrade's Cabinets one after another with promises that elections laws will be revised when time is right. Since right time hasn't come for years, three leaders of the current largest non-parliamentary parties - Demochristian Party of Serbia (DHSS), Democratic Front (DF), Ecological Movement Greens (EPZ) - have met last month, as soon as the state of emergency caused by pandemic was over, and signed a joint resolution demanding that work on set of new elections laws start immediately, ones that will make National Assembly far more representative, or else they will seek justice in front of the European Court of Justice.

Threatened by the large public scandal that might had caused fall of the government, officials from both DS and SDP, after clearly refusing to address the issue for decades while preserving their political monopoly, have finally agreed to revise the matter. This morning, meeting took place in the headquarters of the Government of Serbia. It involved following leaders:

Balša Božović, Prime Minister of Serbia and leader of Democratic Party (DS)
Saša Janković, Leader of the Opposition and leader of Social Democratic Party (SDP)
Nikola Selaković, leader of Demochristian Party of Serbia (DHSS)
Andrija Mandić, leader of Democratic Front (DF)
Aleksandar Olenik, leader of Ecological Movement Greens (EPZ)

After the meeting, they have informed the public that serious work will start on adopting the laws so that it become significantly easier for smaller parties to come into the National Assembly. For most of analysts, this marks the beginning of the end of three decades long era of bipartisan domination in Serbian political life. Prime Minister and leader of DS which currently holds 58% of seats in the National Assembly, told press:

"We had serious talks today, regarding the beginning of revising the set of elections laws. We intend to finish that job prior to the beginning of the new convocation season of parliamentary work in September, and we intend to do that in constant dialogue with non-parliamentary parties and our counterpart in the National Assembly. Today, we have agreed that important issues that should be addressed with the new laws should involve introducing the threshold level, regulating the status of regional parties and deciding on the date of next elections. Currently, largest issue that remains is a date of new elections. Non-parliamentary parties demand holding the early elections as soon as new laws are adopted. However, this Government is against such a scenario. There are two reasons for why are we against that. First, it has never been a practice that elections take place in the same year as the latest change of elections laws happens. Parties need time to prepare for elections in the new conditions which require time, despite all the enthusiasm. Secondly, we are anyway to have regular elections in the April of 2021, which is less than a year from now, so we don't think it's rational not to stick to that agenda. Anyway, whatever the final decision is on this and any other issue that might come out of the changes we intend to pass, the public shall be informed regularly. Thank you."

Analysts are united in their belief that another obstacle for having early elections is certainty felt within DS that they're not going to be able to keep their majority of 58% in the National Assembly with more than one party on contest this time.