August 2012 - Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: The favorite TV show of Gitmo detainees

In 2009, it was reported that the most popular books in the library for prisoners at Guantanamo Bay were, oddly enough, the Harry Potter novels, Don Quixote , and Dreams From My Father , in that order. But apparently, reports Carol Rosenberg, the detainees...

Published Thu, Aug 09 2012 1:19 PM by FP Passport

Romney: America won't decline like Japan

Not sure if it's quite fair to say Romney "took a shot" at Japan here, but he's not exactly complimentary toward the staunch U.S. ally. Buzzfeed's Jake Miller writes : NEW YORK — At a fundraiser this morning, Mitt Romney took a shot...

Published Thu, Aug 09 2012 8:53 AM by FP Passport

Rogozin vs. Madonna

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has never really been known for self-censorship . He treated his former post as Russian ambassador to NATO as a kind of political performance art, denouncing the group's activities and posting off-color...

Published Thu, Aug 09 2012 8:24 AM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: Trial of Gu Kailai, wife of Chinese official, ends swiftly

Trial of Gu Kailai, wife of Chinese official, ends swiftly Top news: The murder trial of Gu Kailai, wife of deposed Chinese Communist Party official Bo Xilai, came to a swift conclusion on Wednesday when Gu declined to contest charges that she had poisoned...

Published Thu, Aug 09 2012 6:00 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Sarkozy calls for international intervention in Syria

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has kept a notably low profile since he was defeated by Francois Hollande in May, but seems to be returning to public life with a call today for international intervention in Syria: Breaking a long silence since...

Published Wed, Aug 08 2012 2:21 PM by FP Passport

Ireland's empty pews

A decade of Catholic Church scandals seems to have taken a toll : Only 47 percent of Irish polled said they were religious people, a 22-point drop from the 69 percent recorded in the last similar poll in 2005, according to the WIN-Gallup International...

Published Wed, Aug 08 2012 11:53 AM by FP Passport

An ugly food fight in Tunisia

A fight between hardline Salafists at a Tunisian mosque on Tuesday was hardly big news. A brief story by AFP on the incident was buried by reports from Aleppo and coverage of the attack in Sinai. However, the clash between rival Islamists serves as a...

Published Wed, Aug 08 2012 11:06 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Islam, North Africa

Belarus’ teddy bear fury continues

AFP reports that Belarus has formally expelled all Swedish diplomats, giving Stockholm until August 30th to remove all diplomatic officials from Minsk. Swedish Ambassador to Belarus Stefan Eriksson was forced to leave Minsk first after "a decision...

Published Wed, Aug 08 2012 9:48 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Europe, Human Rights, Diplomacy, Eastern Europe

Rap video urges Singaporeans to get busy making babies

In the May/June issue of FP, I did a short round-up sexual politics around the world, including Singapore's years-long efforts to make its people make babies : Under the watchful eye of leader Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's authoritarian capitalist...

Published Wed, Aug 08 2012 9:23 AM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: Egypt launches airstrikes in Sinai

Egypt launches airstrikes in Sinai Top news: Egyptian helicopters have reportedly launched airstrikes on militant targets in the Sinai Peninsula following an attack on Sunday that killed 16 soldiers. It is the first time Egypt has fired missiles in the...

Published Wed, Aug 08 2012 5:21 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Sigh... 5 reasons why David Petraeus will not be Romney's veep

The 14-year-old boy in me is extremely excited about the tantalizing possibility that CIA director David Petraeus, the most talented general of his generation and one of the few broadly respected figures in American political life, is being mooted as...

Published Tue, Aug 07 2012 2:40 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Thumbs, 2012 Election Poster 1

Reuters Twitter account hacked in Syrian tug-of-war

Reuters has been scrambling to tighten its Internet security since Friday, when one of its blogs started spontaneously featuring "inaccurate and unauthorized" reports of rebel forces gaining ground in Syria. As if that weren't enough, one...

Published Tue, Aug 07 2012 2:16 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Science & Technology, Middle East, Syria

Romney: America's not some kibbutz

Politico 's Emily Schultheis flags an interesting line from a speech by Mitt Romney today at a Chicago fundraiser: “It’s individuals and their entrepreneurship which have driven America. What America is not a collective where we all work in a kibbutz...

Published Tue, Aug 07 2012 2:11 PM by FP Passport

Levin, McCain concerned about U.S.-China aerospace partnerships

Concerned about a broader pattern of wrongdoing, the two senior members of the Senate Armed Services Committee sent Defense Secretary Leon Panetta a letter yesterday asking the Pentagon to look into temporarily suspending United Technologies Corporation's...

Published Tue, Aug 07 2012 1:20 PM by FP Passport

Fellas, do not try to kiss Putin's hand

Russia's president evidently does not like having his hand kissed, even by Orthodox priests: The video has become a viral hit in Russia, the Moscow Times reports . Apparently, there's some history between the two men: Putin's spokesman Dmitry...

Published Tue, Aug 07 2012 12:48 PM by FP Passport