By ARTHUR I. CYR, Scripps Howard News Service

The inauguration of Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois as the 44th President of the United States Tuesday is an historic occasion in ways subtle and obvious. As the first African-American to hold the highest national office, he personifies a particularly important milestone.

Dr. Martin Luther King Day on Monday is an occasion for reflection as well as recognition. We honor his personal courage as well as political impact as catalyst for the civil rights revolution.

At the start of the New Year, Russia publicly squabbles with Ukraine over the terms of shipping gas to the European Union, while Turkish police have announced the discovery of a very large weapons cache buried in a pine forest near Ankara.

Barack Obama continues to surprise, in different ways. The selection of Leon Panetta by the president-elect to head the Central Intelligence Agency was unexpected for an incoming administration that has emphasized change but so far made relatively non-controversial appointments.

On New Year's Eve, the Taliban scored a major tactical military as well as political victory through killing members of the security force of Abdul Salam, the commander of Musa Qala, a city in southern Afghanistan long contested by insurgent and NATO forces. The daring raid has captured attention and headlines.

The Russians are coming, or rather one Russian -- Igor Panarin -- has rapidly received remarkable media attention with his prediction that the United States is on the verge of economic collapse.

The surprise trip by President George W. Bush to Iraq and Afghanistan earlier this week nonetheless has received relatively routine media coverage. This reflects not just the lame-duck status of his administration, but also fundamental problems regarding our policies, despite the president's very optimistic statements regarding Iraq.

Blackwater is bad news, currently quite literally. The sizable corporation, established in 1997, has evolved into one of the most prominent - and profitable - of a growing array that provide military services, including firepower.

Bush administration Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who has been asked and agreed to remain in place by President-elect Barack Obama, may prove particularly influential in the new regime, as he has in the one leaving office. So far at least, he has shown himself to be a man for all seasons, politically speaking.

President-elect Barack Obama has now announced his top foreign policy as well as economic officials. At a press conference on December 1, he identified choices for principal diplomatic, defense and national security posts. This follows announcements last week of senior economic officials. Women and African-Americans are prominent in both groups.