Return to the blogosphere

I know the other 1.2 people (if I'm lucky) who read this blog may have been wondering where I have been the past two months. The answer: sailing across the Atlantic in a canoe. Okay, not really. I have actually been home, working and job hunting for a real permanent position. In fact, there may soon be some rather big news on that front--stay tuned.

There certainly were times at which I wanted to weigh in on the news of the day, but for various reasons, I resisted the urge. So here is a recap of some major news (and my take on these events) from the past eight weeks or so:

The streets of Iran erupted in the biggest anti-government protests since the 1979 revolution in the aftermath of a disputed presidential election that occurred on June 12. Official results showed that incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad handily won re-election over his three main challengers, winning more than 60 percent of the vote. These figures, however, were immediately questioned amid strong suggestions of vote rigging and election fraud (the sheer size of political rallies and results from some polls taken in the days and weeks leading up to the election predicted a much closer race, particularly between Ahmadinejad and his main rival, the more moderate former prime minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi). A state crackdown on the protests, resulting in the deaths of scores of civilians--including that of Neda Agha-Soltan, a bystander whose death by gunfire was captured on video, instantly going viral on the Web and becoming a rallying cry for opposition protestors--appears to have reduced the frequency and intensity of the demonstrations over time, and media coverage of the unrest in Iran certainly has diminished in recent weeks.

The dynamics of Iran's political and religious leadership are undoubtedly complicated compared to those of its neighbors in the region, so I will not pretend to have the right solution to the chaos in Tehran. I will say, though, that the evidence strongly suggests that the state illegally hindered the execution of a free and fair election and added to this offense by violently suppressing citizens standing up for their right to a lawfully elected government that represents the will of the people. I do believe that President Obama took the right approach by refraining from unconditionally backing one side over the other (to prevent Ahmadinejad from accusing the U.S. of interfering with Iran's internal political process) while condemning the loss of innocent life and expressing empathy for those who simply wanted their voices to matter. For now, it looks as though Ahmadinejad (and, of course, the religious clerics) will remain in power, albeit with a much weakened ability to control the conversation in Iran. What will be fascinating to watch as this plays out is whether the younger generation of Iranians, less prone to abide by strict Islamic law and more exposed to the outside world thanks to the prevalence of modern communications technology, will ultimately reject extremism in their government for more modern leadership, if not in this election cycle, then in subsequent ones.

Michael Jackson, legendary singer, songwriter, dancer and perhaps the greatest entertainer in history, died suddenly on June 25 after suffering cardiac arrest in Los Angeles, where he was rehearsing for an upcoming comeback concert tour set to kick off in London in July. Like most people, I was shocked and stunned by the news (I found out while inadvertently eavesdropping on the phone conversation of a fellow commuter on the way home from work), but I was surprised by how deeply I felt the loss so soon after it occurred. Sure, I am a fairly big Michael Jackson fan, but I rarely stopped to think about how much I appreciated his contributions to music and pop culture. Since before I was born, Michael constantly raised the bar, setting new standards for subsequent wannabe pop stars (compare early MJ to Britney Spears and her Mickey Mouse Club colleagues and you should have a long, healthy laugh), and now, suddenly, he is gone. I find it particularly interesting that many of those who constantly lampooned him and focused on the worst of the rumors designed to damage his image (the most serious of which I will go to my grave believing are completely untrue) miraculously started praising his abilities and talents as an artist upon learning of his passing. To paraphrase a friend, hopefully now that he is gone, he can finally be at rest. I am simply grateful for all that Michael Jackson gave us and that we will be able to rock out to his classics for generations to come.

Just one month after his history-making breakthrough at Roland Garros, Roger Federer won his record-breaking fifteenth Grand Slam singles title by reclaiming his crown at Wimbledon on July 5. He did so in dramatic fashion, just barely edging out an inspired Andy Roddick in five tight sets, 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14. The match set the record for the most number of games (77) played in a Grand Slam final, although at 4 hours 18 minutes, it fell short of last year's record length in terms of time on court in a Wimbledon final (when Rafael Nadal beat Federer 9-7 in the fifth) by half an hour. Adding to the drama, the legendary Pete Sampras arrived in the Royal Box--joining fellow greats Rod Laver and Björn Borg--during the first changeover to watch the match unfold and ultimately witness his now good friend Federer break his record of 14 major titles. With the victory, Federer also reclaimed the number one ranking from Nadal, who had held the top spot for more than ten months but decided against defending his Wimbledon title to rehabilitate his ailing knees. As if all this were not enough, Mirka, Federer's wife as of this past April, was heavily pregnant throughout the fortnight (it is a small miracle that her water did not break during that tense fifth set; Federer could not break Roddick's serve in the entire match until the very last game). She did ultimately give birth to healthy twin girls, Charlene Riva and Myla Rose, on July 23. Suffice it to say that 2009 is a year Federer will not soon forget.

President Obama and his family took a week-long international trip to Russia, Italy and Ghana from July 6 to July 12. The trip to Ghana in particular garnered my interest because I have family ties to that nation (my father immigrated to the U.S. from Ghana back in the 1970s) and I was eager to hear Obama's message to sub-Saharan Africa as the first African-American U.S. president. In fact, his decision to visit Ghana (the first sub-Saharan African country to gain independence in 1957) before other countries on the continent, including his father's native Kenya, spoke volumes about his serious desire to promote good governance in a region plagued by corrupt leadership for the past several decades. While in Accra, the Ghanaian capital, Obama spoke to the parliament and citizens of Ghana, encouraging them to continue their commitment to democracy and peaceful transitions of power and set a strong example for their neighbors to follow. He also took his family on an emotional visit to Cape Coast, a former slave port that for centuries marked the departure point of millions of Africans on slave ships bound for the New World. Having direct ties to Africa, Obama was able to acknowledge the wrongs of the past while making clear that these do not serve as excuses for a lack of progress going forward (this line of argument differs very little, interestingly, from that which he uses when speaking to the African-American community at home). Only when corruption and violence end can an environment be created in which outsiders will want to invest in Africa's potential. I look forward to observing Obama's interactions with the continent throughout the remainder of his presidency, and certainly hope to see him continue to hold their feet to the fire. A continent with so much to offer the world should not have to wait yet another generation to contribute.

By now, virtually the entire country (if not the entire world) knows the names of esteemed Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and the Cambridge, Massachusetts police officer, Sergeant James Crowley, who arrested said professor on charges of disorderly conduct (which were subsequently dropped) outside of his Harvard Square home on July 16. Rather than treat you to a long diatribe voicing my opinion on this incident (and more importantly, its aftermath; none of us were there and thus probably never will know exactly what happened), I refer you to this rather insightful piece by New York Times columnist Frank Rich. It pretty much sums up my take on the media hoopla that has ensued in the weeks since.

I think that covers most of the major stories of the past couple of months, at least from what I can recall. And no, I most certainly have not forgotten about the biggest ongoing domestic debate of the day: health care reform. That will be addressed in my next post.