Hello and welcome to Background Briefing, available 24-7 at Background Briefing.org. I'm Ian Masters, and today we'll examine a number of stories and issues in the news.

We'll begin with South Korea's President Yun, declaring martial law,

which prompted massive demonstrations in front of the National Assembly,

where inside, 190 lawmakers out of the 300 voted to overturn the martial law declaration,

forcing Yun to back down, but clearly not end the crisis of governance,

given Yun's unpopularity and rash move not seen in the country in 44 years when the military last took over.

Joining us is Stephen Norper, founder and president of Asia Dialogue, and a senior UN program

advisor who serves on the faculty

of the Puneho Academy and Hawaii Pacific University, a former State Department senior analyst.

He has held fellowships at the East-West Institute, East West Center, Careers Institute for

Foreign Affairs and National Security, and the Edward Armorrow Center for Public Diplomacy.

Then we'll look into President-elect Trump's warning that there will be, quote,

all held to pay in the Middle East if the remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are not released by his inauguration.

Joining us is Juan Cole, a professor of modern Middle Eastern and South Asian history at the

University of Michigan. He's also the author of the blog Inform Comment at wancold.com

and the author of the Ayatollahs and Democracy in Iraq, engaging the Muslim world,

Muhammad Prophs of Peace amidst the clash of empires,

and we will discuss his latest book, Just Out, Gaza Yet Stans.

Then finally we'll assess how the apolitical rank and file at the FBI will survive

a fanatical pro-Trump ideologue, Kash Pat as the Bureau's new director and speak with David Shapiro,

a distinguished lecturer and coordinator of the fraud examination and financial forensics program

at New York's John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York.

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