February 2011 - Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

The regime's strange spin

Writing on another anti-authoritarian revolution which took place three decades ago, historian Timothy Garton Ash described the fundamental philosophy of activism espoused by Polish writer and opposition leader Adam Michnik: "Behave here and now...

Published Thu, Feb 10 2011 3:46 PM by FP Passport

ElBaradei calls for military intervention

Egyptian opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei, who spoke with our own Blake Hounshell earlier today, seems to be calling for the military to oust President Mubarak in his two most recent Twitter messages. In English he writes : Egypt will explode. Army...

Published Thu, Feb 10 2011 2:30 PM by FP Passport

Mubarak's $70 billion nest egg

It's hard to see why Hosni Mubarak is so reticent to leave office -- not least because he woouldn't exactly be retiring to a life of austerity. According to a report first published in Al Khaba r, the family fortune that would await the departing...

Published Thu, Feb 10 2011 1:37 PM by FP Passport

Mubarak's 'speech from the heart': A heartbreaker

As you've no doubt already seen, President Hosni Mubarak refused to step down in his latest speech to the Egyptian people: Mubarak announced that he had put into place a framework that would lead to the amendment of six constitutional articles in...

Published Thu, Feb 10 2011 1:33 PM by FP Passport

Why the White House is not going to use the word "coup"

Earlier today, the Egyptian military announced that it had taken "necessary measures to protect the nation and support the legitimate demands of the people." It appears more and more likely that President Hosni Mubarak will leave power tonight...

Published Thu, Feb 10 2011 10:52 AM by FP Passport

FP's new special section: Revolution in the Arab World

The news is coming fast and furious out of Cairo today. We'll have continuing coverage all over the site today. But to find the best of our ongoing coverage of the events in Egypt and throughout the Middle East, head over to our new special section...

Published Thu, Feb 10 2011 9:39 AM by FP Passport

Prestowitz: From Cairo to Tel Aviv

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 While the world's media elite has been rushing to Cairo for a moment of ecstasy with the protestors in Tahrir Square, I've been on a different planet only a few hundred...

Published Thu, Feb 10 2011 9:21 AM by FP Passport

What's Mubarak going to say?

Events are moving quickly here in Cairo. Hossam Badrawi, the new head of Egypt's ruling party, just told BBC that President Hosni Mubarak will "probably" make a statement this evening and hand over some of his powers. Prime Minister Ahmed...

Published Thu, Feb 10 2011 7:26 AM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: Egyptian foreign minister sounds defiant note as protests continue

Egyptian foreign minister sounds defiant note as protests continue Top story: Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit warned that the immediate resignation of Hosni Mubarak would bring "chaos" to Egypt, and criticized the Obama administration...

Published Thu, Feb 10 2011 5:00 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Pharaoh’s still funny

We asked Issandr El Amrani, author of the prescient "Making Fun of Pharaoh" piece in our last issue, what new jokes were being told on Cairo's streets this week, as the political paradigm that enabled decades of mockery begins to shift....

Published Wed, Feb 09 2011 11:42 AM by FP Passport

Facebook's increasingly ambiguous role in the Middle East

Haaretz reports that a new, anonymously-created Facebook page is calling for a rally this Friday aimed at overthrowing the Hamas-led government in the Gaza strip: The page, titled Honor Revolution (Thauret al-Karama in Arabic), urges Gazans to take to...

Published Wed, Feb 09 2011 11:16 AM by FP Passport

Monsieur Fillon's Holiday

Another day, another French cabinet minister/Middle Eastern dictator vacation scandal. This one involving Prime Minister Francois Fillon. The Financial Times reports : Mr Fillon came under attack after it emerged that he and his family had accepted an...

Published Wed, Feb 09 2011 8:22 AM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: Egyptian protesters reach parliament as workers begin to strike

Egyptian protesters reach parliament as workers begin to strike Top story: Egypt's protests swelled on Tuesday as marchers camped out in front of the parliament building in Cairo for the first time. Protests have also spread to the previously quiet...

Published Wed, Feb 09 2011 5:53 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Turkmenistan leader's latest obsession: horses

Judging from past experiences, Turkmenistan's autocratic president, Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, doesn't seem to be a lover of the Animal Kingdom. There was the time he reportedly fired one of his security officers for negligence leading to an...

Published Tue, Feb 08 2011 3:36 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Central Asia

Should U.S. intelligence be paying more attention to Twitter?

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, says the U.S. missed what was coming in Egypt because intelligence services were not paying enough attention to what was happening on the Internets: "There was a good deal of...

Published Tue, Feb 08 2011 12:06 PM by FP Passport