March 2013 - Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

Will Francis's role during Argentina's 'Dirty War' come back to haunt him?

With the selection of Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio as pope, the Catholic Church broke new ground by tapping its first modern non-European pontiff, an acknowledgement of the church's growing flock in the developing world. Unlike many other contenders...

Published Wed, Mar 13 2013 2:20 PM by FP Passport

The checkered record of international fat taxes

New York City's control freak Mayor Michael Bloomberg suffered a temporary setback this week in his attempt to pry super-sized sodas out of the cold, obese hands of New Yorkers when a court invalidated the law, which was supposed to take effect yesterday...

Published Wed, Mar 13 2013 1:58 PM by FP Passport

Pope by numbers: How Francis stacks up

Today, the papal conclave completed its deliberation, electing Argentina's Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio to be the next pope. The 115 cardinal-electors arrived at their decision after two days of voting; it took five ballots until one candidate finally...

Published Wed, Mar 13 2013 1:03 PM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: Karzai again suggests U.S.-Taliban cooperation after deadliest day for American forces this year

Karzai again suggests U.S.-Taliban cooperation after deadliest day for American forces this year Top news: In a speech to tribal leaders and elders on Tuesday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai repeated his assertion that the Taliban is working in cooperation...

Published Wed, Mar 13 2013 5:30 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Dennis Rodman says he will vacation with Kim Jong Un. But where?

Normal 0 false false false EN-US ZH-CN X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 We're all familiar with the genre of storytelling in which two characters, usually male, leave home and embark upon a quest. Hilarity and misadventure often ensue, as lessons...

Published Tue, Mar 12 2013 5:15 PM by FP Passport

Jihadis create retro 2-D shooter video game

If you thought 8-bit video games were only fodder for nostalgic Gen X'ers -- think again. A new jihadi game that pits Islamic militants against the French Air Force in Mali is taking Islamic Internet forums by storm. The primitive game, titled "Muslim...

Published Tue, Mar 12 2013 4:30 PM by FP Passport

Does Iran have a legal case against 'Argo'?

On Tuesday, the Iranian press reported that the country is seriously considering a lawsuit against the makers of Argo over the film's unrealistic and negative portrayal of Iranians. According to AP : Several news outlets, including the pro-reform...

Published Tue, Mar 12 2013 3:30 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Law, Culture, Middle East, Media, Iran

The Great Graphics Glut of the 2013 papal conclave

Catholic cardinals may be voting for the next pope this week in a process shrouded in secrecy , but the papal conclave is still a fantastic media spectacle -- as thousands of people wait with bated breath to learn the identity of God's new representative...

Published Tue, Mar 12 2013 12:40 PM by FP Passport

What earth looks like from the International Space Station's window

Unless you have been aboard the International Space Station (or maybe its Russian predecessor, Mir), you haven't seen the world like this. This is what the earth looks like from the window of the only inhabited outpost in space, 250 miles above the...

Published Tue, Mar 12 2013 11:25 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Science & Technology, Cool

Manning in his own words: I tried not to leak anything dangerous

Late last night, in violation of military court rules, the Freedom of the Press Foundation released audio of Pfc. Bradley Manning's personal statement before a Fort Meade, Md. court. The foundation, which openly supports Manning, immediately began...

Published Tue, Mar 12 2013 10:50 AM by FP Passport

Are Ukrainian 'killer' dolphins really on the loose?

RIA-Novosti wins the prize for the scariest headline of the day (though Kim Jong Un's pledges to obliterate a South Korean island are giving the Russian news agency a run for its money): " Ukrainian Killer Dolphins Deserted to Seek Mates - Expert...

Published Tue, Mar 12 2013 10:30 AM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: Cardinals gather to select next pope

Cardinals gather to select next pope Top news: The Roman Catholic cardinals who have gathered in Rome to elect the next pope filed into St. Peter's Basilica on Tuesday for the final Mass before the conclave. There, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of...

Published Tue, Mar 12 2013 5:26 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

What in the world does North Korea still have left to threaten?

If you've already threatened nuclear holocaust, shredded a sacrosanct armistice agreement, terminated a military telephone line, invalidated all non-aggression pacts, and declared "all-out-war," what do you do next to show the West you really...

Published Mon, Mar 11 2013 2:30 PM by FP Passport

U.S.-Pakistani relations -- according to 12-year-olds

The United States and Pakistan have not had the greatest year -- or decade -- from a diplomatic perspective. Just today, for instance, Pakistan and Iran launched a natural gas pipeline that Washington has vigorously opposed. Reflecting on the state of...

Published Mon, Mar 11 2013 11:45 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Pakistan, Diplomacy, Fun Stuff, Central Asia, Education

Are we moving toward a dataless war?

Military statistics are an imperfect way of tracking a war's progress, but that doesn't mean the data is useless. In fact, stats remain a key way to hold the military accountable for events in faraway places like Afghanistan. So what happens when...

Published Mon, Mar 11 2013 11:15 AM by FP Passport