Around The World

A sampling of world news:

• Hey, we're winning that war on drugs! Anyone think that the reason world opium production may be down is because one country controls 89% of the world's fields? That would be Afghanistan, by the way, where "because of continued political turmoil, poverty and violence, Afghanistan's 'drug situation remains vulnerable to reversal'." Centralized production can lead to certain effeciencies, putting the other guys out of business. The drug economy is a market, too.

• Still relentless violence in Iraq, but certain Sunni insurgent groups may want to reach the bargaining table. Or not. Apparently school enrollment is up as well, according to the NYT. And oil revenues. And the death toll for Iraqis could be as high as 50,000. So a mixed bag. A somber, insecure mixed bag.

• The new Islamist leader in Somalia says he wants Sharia law but not a Taliban-style state. Stonings, yes. Burqas, no. Good that the US has paid so much attention to that part of the world.

• I thought I told everyone just to let North Korea test their missiles. Apparently nobody listened, as we're shipping out Patriot missiles to Japan in case they're needed to shoot down the Taepodong-2 test. Considering the success rate (scroll down to "accuracy") I don't see the point.

• A week to go in the Mexican elections which will have wide-ranging effects on the immigration debate. A leader there that will invest in his people and actually try to lift them out of poverty, like Lopez Obrador, would go a long way to stemming the flow across the border.