Julie Lenarz, at The Blogs

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Nov 22, 2019, 4:11 PM

Qatar once again proves itself no friend of stability

Over the weekend, disturbing reports emerged suggesting Qatar had advanced knowledge of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) targeted attacks on international assets in the Persian Gulf earlier this year. The western intelligence report cited “credible” evidence that “the...

Jul 12, 2019, 4:05 PM

Qatar’s Record on Terrorism Is Sketchy at Best: The US Must Choose Its Allies More Carefully

Since taking office, the Trump administration has adopted a zero-tolerance approach to Iran’s destructive foreign policy objectives and has clamped down on Tehran’s army of proxy extremists in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, and elsewhere. With the emir of Qatar’s visit...

Jun 28, 2019, 2:40 PM

Qatar: Empty Words, Deep Pockets

The Wall Street Journal and their exposure of finance loopholes exploited by blacklisted terror suspects shows that when it comes to acting tough on combatting extremism, Qatar’s money is not where its mouth is. The links between Qatar and...

Mar 14, 2019, 6:14 PM

Trade with Iran Provides Tools for Oppression

Europe’s foreign ministers announced earlier this year a European-backed system to facilitate non-dollar trade with Iran, a so-called Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) which allows European Union countries to circumvent sanctions imposed by the United States, to take effect in the...

Jul 12, 2018, 6:46 PM

Boris Johnson is gone. What now for Iranian prisoner Zaghari-Ratcliffe?

On his way out, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has betrayed yet again the trust of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian dual citizen currently languishing in an Iranian jail on what can only be described as trumped-up charges. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who worked...

May 17, 2018, 9:02 PM

Iran in Iraq: Hegemony through Powerful Militia Groups

Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani, the leader of the Islamic Republic’s Quds Force, is in Baghdad to push for the formation of a new Iraqi government favorable to Iran’s interests. Reuters reported on Wednesday that Soleimani had arrived in Iraq...

May 16, 2018, 6:56 PM

The March of Return: A Hamas PR stunt which trades the lives of Gazans for headlines

Over 50,000 Gazans participated in Hamas-led riots along the Israeli-Gaza border on Monday. In the chaos of events, and in response to blatant violations of Israel’s sovereignty, Israel was forced to defend her border, resulting in the deaths of...

May 4, 2018, 2:59 PM

Iran’s Proxy War against Israel in Syria

A major rationale behind Iranian efforts to develop a nuclear capability has been to acquire what may be termed “immunity from prosecution.” Put simply, by possessing nuclear weapons, Iran would be able to deter both the US and regional...

Apr 27, 2018, 5:11 PM

How Iranian-Backed Houthi Militants are Seizing Power in a Key Part of the Arabian Peninsula

Iran’s involvement in Yemen should be framed as part of its expansionist agenda in the Middle East region and larger proxy war with Saudi Arabia. Matters came to a head as a result of the Houthi’s seizure of the country’s...

Apr 25, 2018, 1:36 PM

Dismantling the myths of John Oliver’s pro-Iran deal segment

In his takedown of Trump's threat to end the nuclear deal, the late-night show host parroted a series of myths

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About Me

Julie Lenarz is Director of the London-based Human Security Centre and speaks widely across the media on terror and radicalisation.