October 2012 - Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

Another chance to save the world -- and win an iPad

We have extended the deadline for FP and the Belfer Center 's Cuban missile crisis contest, which means you have another chance to save the world -- and possibly win a new iPad. The challenge is simple: We're looking for a persuasive lesson in...

Published Tue, Oct 09 2012 10:31 AM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: Turkish president calls Syria "worst case" scenario

Turkish president calls Syria "worst case" scenario Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE Top news: Following the sixth straight day of cross-border fire between Turkey and Syria, Turkish President Abdullah Gul called on the international...

Published Tue, Oct 09 2012 5:58 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

The case for vagueness

Mitt Romney often gets dinged for putting very little meat on the bones of his foreign policy, and Monday was no exception -- one of the dominant themes of his critics is that his big Virginia Military Institute address offered very few spefic clues as...

Published Mon, Oct 08 2012 5:26 PM by FP Passport

Did Mitt Romney just rehabilitate George Marshall?

One towering American historical figure played a key role in Mitt Romney's foreign-policy address at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) on Monday: VMI graduate George Marshall. The Republican candidate noted that as Army chief of staff during World...

Published Mon, Oct 08 2012 2:29 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Election 2012, Mitt Romney, 2012 Election Top Story

Maldives ex-president arrested after skipping trial

Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed was arrested Monday morning on Fares-Maathodaa island after failing to show up for two trials within a week. Nasheed defied a court order to remain on the capital island of Male and left on Oct. 1 to campaign...

Published Mon, Oct 08 2012 1:44 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Corruption, Politics, Elections, South Asia, Democracy

Japan, ASEAN, team up for cyberdefense

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE In the wake of a series of cyber attacks from Chinese I.P. addresses at the height of the Senkaku/Diaoyu island dispute, Yomiuri Shimbun reports that Japan is pushing a plan to create a "cyber defense...

Published Mon, Oct 08 2012 1:43 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Security, Japan, East Asia, China, Internet, Southeast Asia

The most boring whopper in Mitt Romney's big foreign policy speech

Plenty of folks have already pored over Republican nominee Mitt Romney's major address on foreign policy today, pointing out their disagreement and factual gripes, but here's one you probably won't hear too much about: his suggestion that...

Published Mon, Oct 08 2012 1:25 PM by FP Passport

The return of Kony 2012

Invisible Children, the group that unleashed the social-media tsunami known as Kony 2012 last March, released a new video today, titled " Move " that will provide plenty of material for both its supporters and all the haters. There's some...

Published Mon, Oct 08 2012 11:56 AM by FP Passport

Mitt Romney channels Condi Rice in foreign-policy address

Mitt Romney may not have unveiled many new policy proposals in his foreign-policy address on Monday, but he did roll out a number of sound bites, including "hope is not a strategy." And one line in particular sounded quite familiar: There is...

Published Mon, Oct 08 2012 9:47 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Election 2012, Mitt Romney

The critiques of Romney's foreign policy are just as incoherent as Romney's foreign policy

As my colleague Dan Drezner notes today, excerpts released ahead of Mitt Romney's big foreign-policy speech at the Virginia Military Institute this morning suggest that the Republican candidate isn't going to be rolling out much new policy content...

Published Mon, Oct 08 2012 8:14 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Election 2012, 2012 Election Poster 1, Mitt Romney, Barack Obama

Morning Brief: Hugo Chavez wins reelection in Venezuela

Hugo Chavez wins reelection in Venezuela Top news: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez secured a fourth term in office on Sunday, despite a battle with cancer and a formidable challenge from opponent Henrique Capriles Radonski. The country's electoral...

Published Mon, Oct 08 2012 5:07 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Can Romney pivot to the center on foreign policy?

Mitt Romney stunned Barack Obama in their debate last week, in part by ditching the persona of a movement conservative -- vowing not to reduce taxes for the rich, to protect education funding, highlighting his willingness to work across the aisle, and...

Published Sun, Oct 07 2012 6:18 PM by FP Passport

The Election 2012 Weekly Report: Obama's bumpy week

The debates begin The two candidates met for their first head-to-head debate on Tuesday night -- an encounter almost universally agreed to have been won by Mitt Romney . The debate was focused on domestic policy, but the rest of the world did come up...

Published Fri, Oct 05 2012 1:48 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Election 2012, 2012 Report

The global crises we'll resolve after Nov. 6

This week brought two related pieces of news. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declared that the U.S.-Russian "reset" cannot "last forever" and suggested that the two sides "update the software" to avoid a "program...

Published Fri, Oct 05 2012 12:50 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Election 2012, 2012 Election Poster 1

Golden Dawn still elevating the debate

Last time we caught up with Ilias Kasidiaris, Greek MP and spokesman for the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, he was assaulting a woman on a TV debate show for not agreeing with him. Today, he apparently caused a scene in parliament during a debate with the...

Published Fri, Oct 05 2012 11:01 AM by FP Passport