The extremist group, al-Shabab, launched an attack on Garissa University in northeastern Kenya, and killed at least 147 people. The group is based in Somalia and has been around since the 1990s. The tension between Kenya and al-Shabab revolves around Kenyan efforts to dislodge the groups from East Africa. In September 2013 the group attacked civilians at a shopping mall in Nairobi, and the US has tried drone attacks and special operations to degrade the group. Obviously, US and Kenyan efforts have not been successful.
Peter Beinart is a sophisticated analyst of Middle East politics and he has thought deeply about the significance of the Iranian nuclear deal. Both the US and Iran were very specific about compartmentalizing the nuclear agreement–for both sides the agreement meant nothing about any other aspect of their relationship. Both sides wanted to remain enemies in order to defuse the anger of their own hardliners. Nonetheless, Beinart argues that the recognition of mutual shared interests means something for the future of US-Iran relations.
The Pew Research Institute has released a new report on the future of world religions. The report indicates that there will be major changes in the distribution of various world religions by 2050 due to demographic changes. Demography, however, is not necessarily destiny. What we do not know is the interpretations of the major world religions by 2050: there are wide variations in degrees of adherence that cannot be anticipated.
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