August 2010 - Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

Some U.S. allies not listening when it comes to Iran

U.N. Security Council members Brazil and Turkey have chosen very different paths since they both voted against the latest round of U.N. sanctions on Iran. While Brazil has pledged to abide by the sanctions, despite their disagreement with them, Turkey's...

Published Fri, Aug 13 2010 7:53 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Russia, Middle East, United Nations, Obama Administration, U.S. Foreign Policy, Iran

What's the carbon footprint of reading Passport?

The internet is generally seen as a "green" technology -- emails can cut down on paper waste, teleconferencing can save on CO2 emitted by flying, and smart grids can help reduce overall energy consumption. But, according to the Guardian 's...

Published Fri, Aug 13 2010 7:40 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Environment, Internet

How about that LRA strategy?

A horrifying report from Human Rights Watch today catalogues a recent campaign by the once-Ugandan now-regional rebel group the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) that has kidnapped nearly 700 and left 225 dead in the Central African Republic. The kidnap...

Published Fri, Aug 13 2010 7:27 AM by FP Passport

Inner Mongolia sets human domino world record

In an event seemingly designed specifically to guarantee a write-up on Passport , 10,276 people in China's city of Ordos, in Inner Mongolia, formed the world's largest human domino chain yesterday, besting the previous record of 9,234 Singaporeans...

Published Fri, Aug 13 2010 6:38 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: East Asia, Fun Stuff

Morning Brief: Obama prepared to sign legislation bolstering border security

Obama prepared to sign legislation bolstering border security Top story: President Barack Obama will sign legislation into law today that provides an additional $600 million for U.S. border security along the border with Mexico. The bill will pay for...

Published Fri, Aug 13 2010 5:54 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Where's Obama on the "Ground Zero mosque"?

Politico's Ben Smith raised the question yesterday that's now on many minds in Washington: Why hasn't Barack Hussein Obama weigh in on the Ground Zero Burlington Coat Factory Mosque Community Center controversy? True, he's been busy shooting...

Published Thu, Aug 12 2010 12:51 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Obama Administration, Religion

Madagascar pays a steep price for its political stagnation

Almost a year and a half since protests spurned a coup that removed democratically-elected President Marc Ravalomanana, Madagascar's political crisis continues to drag along. The government remains paralyzed and isolated, and formal development is...

Published Thu, Aug 12 2010 12:38 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Africa, Environment, Elections, Development

Iraqi general to US military: Stay longer!

First Tareq Aziz, Saddam Hussein's former deputy, said that the planned U.S. troop withdrawal was "leaving the country to the wolves." Now, the chief of staff of the Iraqi military, Lt. Gen. Babaker Zebari, says that the U.S. pullout was...

Published Thu, Aug 12 2010 11:58 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Middle East, Iraq

The incredible shrinking British military

You know, there once was a time in the not too distant past when the British military defended civilization against a genocidal German regime that appeared intent on rampaging across much of the planet. Now, it looks as if it will be reduced to a shadow...

Published Thu, Aug 12 2010 9:56 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Middle East, History, Military

U.S. teen will visit Kim Jong-Il to pitch DMZ "peace forest" - by Brian Fung

File this under "wonderfully weird": A Korean-American teenager will fly to Pyongyang this week so that he can ask Kim Jong-Il whether he'd consider planting a forest in North Korea's backyard -- and by "backyard," of course...

Published Thu, Aug 12 2010 9:41 AM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: Markets jittery on fears of a flagging global economic recovery

Markets jittery on fears of a flagging global economic recovery Top story: The U.S. Commerce Department reported that the trade deficit increased 18.8 percent in June, to $49.9 billion, making it the latest data point to cast doubt on the strength of...

Published Thu, Aug 12 2010 5:55 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Putin co-pilots plane over wildfires - By Jennifer T. Parker

Criticisms leveled against Moscow's response to the raging wildfires are now obsolete. While Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov was roundly berated for grudgingly returning from his European vacation to deal with the fires, Vladimir Putin himself co-piloted...

Published Wed, Aug 11 2010 2:25 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Russia, Environment

Mecca's plan to steal Time

Forget the clash of civilizations -- the next grand battle between East and West will be over Time itself. The world's largest clock is currently under construction in the Islamic holy city of Mecca, with the goal of moving Greenwich Mean Time to...

Published Wed, Aug 11 2010 10:45 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Middle East, Islam

America's South Sudan conundrum

It could be an essay assignment for introduction to diplomacy: What do you do if you are the U.S. government and you know that South Sudan is going to secede from Sudan proper in a January 2011 referendum? Much harder than it initially sounds -- because...

Published Wed, Aug 11 2010 10:04 AM by FP Passport

Helpful tips for welcoming foreigners to London

When China hosted the Summer Olympics in 2008, its government tried to rein in citizens' bad habits like spitting . Britain is taking a different tack in the run-up to London 2012 with a guide teaching Britons some helpful cultural stereotypes. Some...

Published Wed, Aug 11 2010 8:28 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Europe, Olympics