Hodge Podge of News

It's becoming a busier summer than I had originally anticipated. Work at school has been crazy busy these past few weeks as I coordinate this US-Korea event the day before the South Korean president meets with President Obama. On top of that, I've been reading like crazy for my internship. And then I'm traveling almost every weekend in June. It's been hard to find any meaningful me-time, when I can just relax and recharge. But in the end, this is the road I chose to take. It is what it is. I cannot complain.

There's been a lot of world news that is of interest. North Korea has an heir apparent. It also exploded another nuclear device and fired short range missiles into the Sea of Japan. It put two U.S. reporters on trial for trumped up charges and sentenced them to 12 years in a forced labor camp. South Korea joined the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative in response to North Korea's provocative acts. Its former president committed suicide by jumping off a cliff. It enacted economic sanctions on North Korean companies. China and Russia are apparently showing signs of frustration with North Korea. China stepped up its censorship efforts leading up to the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square incident.

Elsewhere around the world, Pres. Obama delivered a conciliatory speech to the Arab-Muslim population in Cairo that was received with "cautious optimism." That speech is partially credited with the success of the U.S.-backed political coalition in yesterday's Lebanese parliamentary elections which denied the Shiite Hizbollah from increasing in power. That election could foreshadow the results of another Middle East election coming up on Friday in Iran. In Pakistan, there are signs that locals are fed up with Taliban incursion with local militia fighting Taliban forces in the tribal areas. An Air France flight fell off the radar and into the Atlantic Ocean, presumably killing everyone on board.

All in all, there is no shortage of interesting events going on around the world. We live in challenging but exciting times. I'm cautiously looking forward to Iran's presidential elections that pits the incumbent Ahmadinejad against three other moderates in a seemingly tight race. If Mousavi, the main oppositional leader, can win, it would truly be a promising sign of improving relations in the Middle East and hopes that extremism will continue to wane. But we shall see.