The World Next Week: Iranian President-Elect Rouhani Takes Office, Obama Celebrates His 52nd Birthday, Japan Sends the First Robotic Astronaut Into Space
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By James M. LindsayMary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy
The World Next Week podcast is up. Bob McMahon and I discussed Iranian president-elect Hassan Rouhani, President Obama’s birthday and his progress in his second term, and Japan’s robotic astronaut launching into space.
The highlights:
For more on the topics we discussed in the podcast check out:
Iranian president-elect Hassan Rouhani: The New York Times reports the U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote on the harshest sanctions for Iran to date just days before Rouhani is sworn into office. The Associated Press notes many of Rouhani’s close advisors have degrees from Western universities, leading to hope for better relations with Europe and the United States. The Huffington Post argues Iran’s new foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, can be seen as an “olive branch” to the United States.
President Obama’s birthday: The Huffington Post says despite Obama’s domestic and foreign policy hurdles, top aides claim major progress on climate change and gay rights initiatives. The Guardian notes Washington has “difficulty coping with more one than one sensation at a time,” slowing down the Obama administration’s agenda as issues like IRS targeting and NSA snooping emerge. The New York Times argues based on historical precedent, Obama still has time to make an impact with his second-term agenda.
Japan’s robotic astronaut: Engadget writes the robot, designed in conjunction with Toyota and the University of Tokyo, is named Kirobo and has “voice recognition, natural language processing, speech synthesis, realistic body language and facial recognition.” CNET reports the robot will be launched August 4 but will have to wait until November, when the Japanese Commander Wakata arrives, to participate in human-robot conversation. Space.com notes Kirobo’s twin, Mirata, will remain on Earth to help scientists troubleshoot any problems that may occur in space.