29 April 2015

According to Iran, the cargo ship  MV Maersk Tigris was ordered into Iranian waters because of a monetary dispute between Iran and the cargo company.  There very well may be a legal dispute, but commandeering a ship in transit is not typical legal recourse–one usually waits until the ship is docked and legal papers can be served.  US naval vessels remain nearby but there does not seem to be an emerging crisis at this point.  In case you wish to follow the voyage of the Tigris, you can follow its route on a fabulous website called Marine Traffic.  From this site one can locate any registered vessel anywhere on the world’s oceans.

Timothy Phillips and Nir Eisikovits have written a commentary on the attractiveness of the Islamic State and why so many young people are traveling to the Middle East to join the group.  The essay is highly provocative, essentially arguing that it is the sense of spirited and dangerous commitment to a cause that draws many to the Islamic State.   The actual reality of living within the Islamic State is grim–we have no real sources for such information, but the little bit we get about life under the control of the Islamic State seems quite chilling.

For the first time in US history, a Japanese leader addressed the full  houses of Congress.   Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gave a speech to the Congress in which he pressed for the passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.  He also offered his sincere condolences “to the souls of all American people that were lost during World War II.”  The sentiment fell short of a formal apology for World War II and for the atrocities committed during that war.  The US, as well, has never apologized for the use of atomic bombs during the war.