Arthur I. Cyr's blog

Strange things are happening on the Korean peninsula. In the North, the return to an isolated, threatening stance by Pyongyang has abruptly terminated fitful cooperation to dismantle nuclear facilities. A second nuclear explosion, following the first three years ago, accompanied by long-range missile launches has definitely gotten global attention.

Instant American analysts often misread British politics, primarily because we use our own different political culture to explain theirs. The ruling Labour Party has just suffered a severe double defeat in elections for local county councils and the European Parliament. Drawing on our own personality-driven politics, pundits concentrate on Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

From ancient times to the present, amphibious military operations have been rightly regarded as particularly challenging. The largest such enterprise was the Allied invasion of France in World War II on June 6, 1944 – D-Day.

As the international community grapples with the latest thundering threats from North Korea, which for the second time in three years have been accompanied by a nuclear explosion, the principal forum is the United Nations.

Facebook, the exceptionally fast growing networking site, is both symbol and tool of globalization. The Internet represents development of a global society as well as economy. This particular social arena is populated primarily by young people, entirely appropriate and not at all surprising.

The nuclear test by North Korea on Monday, following an earlier one three years ago, occurred not only on Memorial Day in the U.S. but during mourning in South Korea for former President Roh Moo-hyun, who committed suicide. The explosion has also been accompanied by missile tests.

In relatively slow but steady fashion, the Obama administration has been filling diplomatic posts. John Roos, head of the powerful Silicon Valley law firm of Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich and Rosati, reportedly is about to be named Ambassador to Japan. He is close to President Obama and a major campaign fund raiser. Moderate Republican Gov.

The visit to Washington of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has been free of public acrimony. Some predicted a contentious meeting with President Barack Obama given the particularly hard-line personality of the Israeli leader. Instead, Netanyahu has emphasized support for an independent Palestinian state, though with restrictions, and urged immediate resumption of peace negotiations.

Barbarism and the law collide in war. Armed conflict is inherently terribly destructive. The law is a vital tool for mitigating the most brutal aspects of war. Both dimensions are present in the intensely politicized debate in Washington about torture.

The NASA space shuttle Atlantis was successfully launched Monday afternoon from Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, beginning the latest adventure in the now lengthy story of exploration of outer space. This mission is focused on repair and upgrading of the Hubble Space Telescope, which was put into orbit in 1990 and has provided enormous valuable information.