December 2012 - Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

A kinder, gentler Putin?

The Washington Post brings a distressing story for those of us in the business of generating blog posts/clickbaiting slideshows about Russia's photogenic autocrat: What's a 60-year-old president to do? The answer comes in a purportedly secret...

Published Thu, Dec 06 2012 8:49 AM by FP Passport

A better Egyptian constitution

With the violence that broke out in front of the presidential palace in Egypt yesterday, one can no longer describe the constitutional draft produced under the Mohamed Morsi government, as just "flawed." In process, the draft is abysmal. In...

Published Thu, Dec 06 2012 7:55 AM by The Middle East Channel

Filed under: Security, Law, Middle East, Islam, North Africa, Egypt, Democracy, Middle East Poster 3

Morning Brief: Egyptian military clears protesters from presidential palace

Egyptian military clears protesters from presidential palace Top news: The Egyptian military deployed tanks to the area in Cairo around the presidential palace on Thursday, following overnight clashes that left seven dead and more than 600 injured. The...

Published Thu, Dec 06 2012 6:01 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

The Egyptian army deploys tanks to break up violent protests

The Egyptian army deployed tanks to the presidential palace overnight to break up protests after violent clashes between supporters of President Mohamed Morsi and opponents killed an estimated five people and injured about 450 others. Egypt's Republican...

Published Thu, Dec 06 2012 5:52 AM by The Middle East Channel

Filed under: Middle East, North Africa, Arab World, Mideast Brief

'The Global Farms Race' and the quest for food security

As climate talks continue to grind along in Doha, food security would seem to be a major concern (especially as the U.N. issues warnings about the increasingly desperate food situation in Syria). However, the question of how farmers will feed the world's...

Published Wed, Dec 05 2012 4:26 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Financial crisis, Environment, Global Warming, Energy, Food/Agriculture, International Relations, Public Health, Foreign Aid, Economics, globalization

Brazilian prison gang holds 10-hour conference call

And you thought your company's meetings were too long. Jack Davis of InsightCrime writes : A Federal Police recording recently heard by Folha de Sao Paulo involves a 10-hour discussion between five members of the PCC (Primeiro Comando da Capital Read...

Published Wed, Dec 05 2012 10:59 AM by FP Passport

The Palestinian flower of North Korea

Normal 0 false false false EN-US ZH-CN X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 According to the website NKnews.org, deceased North Korean leader Kim Jong Il had a Palestinian " foster child ;" Jindallae Safarini, the daughter of the former Palestinian...

Published Wed, Dec 05 2012 9:10 AM by FP Passport

International Olympic Committee suspends India

Things must be pretty bad when you're too corrupt for the IOC . The Indian Olympic Association has evidently gotten to that point: In an embarrassing setback for India, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has suspended India's Olympic Association...

Published Wed, Dec 05 2012 8:09 AM by FP Passport

Chemical red lines on Syria

Despite the estimated 40,000 civilian deaths in the Syrian conflict, the United States has shown little appetite for a Libya-style intervention, this time without United Nations Security Council approval. The Obama administration has been candid, however...

Published Wed, Dec 05 2012 6:22 AM by The Middle East Channel

Filed under: al Qaeda, Middle East, Obama Administration, Bush Administration, North Africa, Syria, Barack Obama, Middle East Poster 4

Morsi flees presidential palace amid a spark of violent protest

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi retreated from the presidential palace Tuesday night as protesters clashed with security forces . Tens of thousands of people were demonstrating outside the palace , located in the Cairo suburb of Heliopolis, against Morsi's...

Published Wed, Dec 05 2012 5:47 AM by The Middle East Channel

Filed under: Middle East, North Africa, Arab World, Mideast Brief

Morning Brief: Protesters challenge new Egyptian constitution

Protesters challenge new Egyptian constitution Top News: Tens of thousands of protesters again filled Cairo's Tahrir Square to protest Egypt's Islamist-backed draft constitution, which they say leaves too much power in the hands of the president...

Published Wed, Dec 05 2012 5:33 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Homeschoolers help torpedo disability rights treaty in Senate

International observers may be a little confused about why the U.S. Senate just rejected a treaty that has been ratified by 125 countries and is substantially based on U.S. law . They also might be forgiven for wondering what, exactly, this has to do...

Published Tue, Dec 04 2012 3:42 PM by FP Passport

Ecuador's president receives free speech award

The Committee to Protect Journalists may believe that "freedom of expression is under siege in Ecuador," and Freedom House may give Ecuador poor marks for press freedom, but Argentina's Universidad Nacional de La Plata apparently disagrees...

Published Tue, Dec 04 2012 3:25 PM by FP Passport

The ambassador wears Prada?

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour is reportedly under consideration to replace Louis Susman as the next ambassador to the United Kingdom. Bloomberg reports : Wintour, 63, may have...

Published Tue, Dec 04 2012 11:05 AM by FP Passport

M23's Potemkin village

The Globe and Mail' s Geoffrey York visits the rebel group's showcase capital city : The rebel capital, Rutshuru, is a showcase for their ideology. Neat and tidy, without a scrap of trash to be seen, Rutshuru is supervised by taciturn young M23...

Published Tue, Dec 04 2012 10:44 AM by FP Passport