Foreign Policy - Details

Hope you've all enjoyed thefirst dayof the newForeignPolicy.com. This is still very much a work in progress and we're only just beginning to figure out how to take advantage of the new format. In particular, it looks like theinteractionbetweenour all-star lineup of bloggers is going to be fun.

I also wanted to take this chance to heap much-deserved praise on two of the unsung heroes of this endeavor, Web DeveloperBlaine Sheldonand WebmasterTom Stec. Even under normal circumstances there's no way we could function without these guys and in the runup to the relaunch, they worked ridiculous hours to get the site running smoothly and looking fantastic.

Thanks also to everyone who wrote in or blogged with feedback, both positive and (constructively) negative.Keep it coming!

The Year of the Ox starts Jan. 26. An"ox," according toWebster's New World College Dictionary(4th edition), is"esp., a castrated, domesticated bull (Bos taurus), used as a draft animal."

In a recent report predicting that Southeast Asian stocks will make a limited comeback this year,CIMB-GK Researchanalyst Toh Hoon Chewwrote:

The year of the castrated bull seems appropriate given our expectations for 2009.

But some are still hoping for a virily bullish year in the stock markets. South Korea's Financial Services Commission chairman, Jun Kwang-Woo, second right, adorns a bull with a crown of flowers to celebrate the 2009 opening of the stock market at theKorea Exchange (KRX)in Seoul on Jan. 2.

Meanwhile, the folks at theTokyo Stock Exchangeseem to have the ox theme down. Kimono-clad women and a cuddly, cartoon-like ox celebrate the first day of 2009 trading today, Jan. 5.

In recent days, the number of pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia hasstarted to fall. French troopsarrested eight pirateson January 1st, turning them over to the Somali government. The EU mission alsosaved a Greek tankerfrom kidnapping on January 2nd. A Danish warshipsunk yet another pirate vesselafter warning flares set that ship on fire (the pirates were rescued from the wreck, and remain onboard the Danish vessel). And a Chinese cargo ship flatout-maneuvered the pirateson January 2nd.

A round of applause might be in order. After a slew of hijackings last fall, the world's navies finally seemed to get serious about fighting the pirates. Previously, many countries feared that arresting pirates could lead to awkward legal proceedings and even amnesty suits by suspects claiming they could be put to death at home if extradited. All good points. But then, so are the tens of thousands of ships that pass through the Gulf of Aden each year. From the looks of it, squeamish fighters once reluctant to pick up pirates are increasingly keen to do just that. Whatever they're doing, it seems to be working.

On land, however, few are noticing the calm at sea. Ethiopian troops are at lastpulling out of Somalia, as they promised to do late last year and themortars are still flyingin Mogadishu.

Photo: AFP/Getty Images