March 2010 - Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

Paging Clark Hoyt

The International Herald Tribune , the global edition of the New York Times , last week issued the following bizarre apology to top leaders of the government of Singapore: In 1994, Philip Bowring, a contributor to the International Herald Tribune’s op...

Published Mon, Mar 29 2010 8:07 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: East Asia, Media

India's Innovation Karma

Today India's 32-year-old Minister of State for the Technology and Communication Ministry, Mr. Sachin Pilot, was in town to tell an audience of Washington think-tanker s and industry types that, with the (ahem) generous support and investment of U...

Published Mon, Mar 29 2010 2:30 PM by FP Passport

Lots of recess appointments, but one big one missing

Over the weekend, President Barack Obama made 15 recess appointments, using his Constitutionally granted right to name appointees directly into their positions when the Congress is in recess. They included a number relevant to foreign policy and economy...

Published Mon, Mar 29 2010 2:23 PM by FP Passport

Why the Hariri assassination still matters

We're happy to feature today an excerpt from Michael Young's new book, The Ghosts of Martyrs Square , that explores the immediate aftermath of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri on February 14, 2005. I caught up...

Published Mon, Mar 29 2010 10:21 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Middle East, Lebanon

Morning Brief: Twin suicide bomb attacks kill dozens in Moscow

Twin suicide bomb attacks kill dozens in Moscow Top News: At 8 a.m. local time this morning, the peak of rush hour, twin bombs exploded in the Moscow metro system, one at the Lubyanka station and one 40 minutes later at Park Kultury. At least 37 have...

Published Mon, Mar 29 2010 5:57 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

What Obama should be telling Karzai

Lots of stories , but very little real news on Barack Obama's surprise visit to Kabul, where we're told the U.S. president is currently meeting with Hamid Karzai, his Afghan counterpart. What little has emerged is that Obama's agenda included...

Published Sun, Mar 28 2010 10:23 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Afghanistan, Obama Administration

Friday Photo: Morning in Marjah

A US Marine of 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines jumps down to fetch a hammer as they build an obervation point on the perimeter of their combat outpost recently set up in Marjah, Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, on March 16, 2010. Thousands of US Marines...

Published Fri, Mar 26 2010 2:11 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Friday Photo

Quiz: How many Wi-Fi hot spots are there in the world?

For those of you who don't subscribe to the bimonthly print edition of Foreign Policy , you're missing a great feature: the FP Quiz. It has eight intriguing questions about how the world works. (And, in honor of World Water Day on March 22, check...

Published Fri, Mar 26 2010 2:05 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Science & Technology, Internet

Iraq has birthers too

The question on everybody's mind: what's the Arabic translation of Orly Taitz ? Former Iraqi prime minister Ayad Allawi has seemingly won parliamentary elections , but allegations of vote fraud and stark sectarian divisions will hamper his ability...

Published Fri, Mar 26 2010 2:03 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Middle East, Iraq

The return of Imelda Marcos

Between the ongoing clan violence in Mindanao, a rumored coup plot, the meddling of disgraced former President Joseph Estrada, and boxer Manny Pacquiao's first foray into the political ring, there are almost too many subplots to keep track of in the...

Published Fri, Mar 26 2010 10:25 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: East Asia

Breaking: South Korean navy ship sinking near North Korean border

Nothing's confirmed yet, but this does not sound good : A South Korean navy ship with about 100 personnel on board is sinking off the west coast near North Korea, possibly due to a torpedo attack, reports say. The ship was sinking near Baengnyeong...

Published Fri, Mar 26 2010 9:38 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: North Korea, East Asia

Morning Brief: Europe agrees on Greece rescue plan

Europe agrees on Greece rescue plan Top news: The 16 members of the European Monetary Union agreed on Thursday night to an emergency plan to help Greece out of its debt crisis. The total package comes to about $22 billion -- mostly consisting of coordinated...

Published Fri, Mar 26 2010 5:50 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Think we may have a new "most bizarre terror threat"

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 We thought we had covered it all when we published " The World's Most Bizarre Terrorist Threats " in January. Little did we know that World of Warcraft and smoke detectors...

Published Thu, Mar 25 2010 2:45 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Terrorism, Fun Stuff

Celebrate electromagnetic pulse attack recognition day!

Via Danger Room, I see that the Heritage Foundation is proposing the establishment of an "Electromagnetic Pulse Attack Recognition Day." Here's how they would like Congress to observe the occaision: Close all cafeterias. After an EMP attack...

Published Thu, Mar 25 2010 2:02 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Military

Ukrainian PM: Politics "not women's business"

For anyone who just can't wait any longer for the premier of the next season of Mad Men, the next best thing might be following the Ukrainian political scene. Not to be outdone by President Yanukovich, who told Yulia Tymoshenko during a February campaign...

Published Thu, Mar 25 2010 12:21 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Europe, Politics