May 2013 - Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

Tunisian who sparked 'topless jihad' is back ... and blonde

When Amina Tyler, a 19-year-old Tunisian activist, posted topless photographs of herself on Facebook in March, she caused a global uproar. The tremendous backlash within Tunisia to the images -- which included one of Amina topless, hair short and black...

Published Fri, May 03 2013 9:20 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Women, Islam, Religion, North Africa

Thomas Friedman: I only deserve partial credit for coining the 'Chinese dream'

This week's Economist cover story is about Xi Jinping's catchphrase "Chinese dream," which symbolizes the aspirations of the Chinese people and nation. The magazine suggests, bizarrely but convincingly, that New York Times columnist...

Published Fri, May 03 2013 8:28 AM by FP Passport

Britain burnishes Bahrain's record on press freedom

In an article for FP this week, Freedom House Vice President Arch Puddington laid out the 10 worst countries in the world to be a journalist. The list contained well-known dictatorships such as North Korea, Syria, and Cuba -- and also the tiny island...

Published Fri, May 03 2013 6:10 AM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: Assad offensive continues as U.S. mulls response

Assad offensive continues as U.S. mulls response Top news: Opposition groups say at least 50 people were killed when Syrian government forces stormed the coastal town of Baida on Thursday. The raid came in response to a rebel attack on a bus carrying...

Published Fri, May 03 2013 5:45 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Ecuador's ambassador to Peru proves that getting trounced in a supermarket brawl doesn't have to end your diplomatic career

It's every diplomat's worst nightmare: being summoned back to the mother country after getting trounced in a supermarket slapfest. But that's exactly what happened, at least temporarily, to Rodrigo Riofrío, Ecuador's ambassador to Peru...

Published Thu, May 02 2013 4:00 PM by FP Passport

Russian drivers can now turn right on red (at some intersections)

The following is a guest post from Leon Aron , director of Russian studies at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. Suddenly there is a tiny bright spot on the decidedly bleak social canvass of Vladimir Putin's Russia. For the first...

Published Thu, May 02 2013 3:02 PM by FP Passport

New addition to the blogosphere: Egypt's foreign policy through translation, darkly

The Egyptian government is promoting a new blog showcasing the work of the Egyptian Foreign Policy Forum, a state-sponsored think tank. But the target audience isn't just Egyptians -- the first few posts indicate that officials are looking for an...

Published Thu, May 02 2013 1:50 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Diplomacy, Politics, Middle East, International Relations, Egypt

The unlikely winner in the war on drugs? Iran

As Barack Obama arrives in Mexico for the first visit of his second term in office, talk has inevitably turned to the United States' floundering war on drugs in Latin America. And as efforts are made to scrutinize what the United States and Mexico...

Published Thu, May 02 2013 12:00 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Middle East, Iran

What's it like to do 'hard labor' in North Korea?

On Thursday, North Korea sentenced U.S. citizen Kenneth Bae to 15 years of hard labor for committing "hostile acts" against the government. The severe punishment raises a pertinent question: What's it like to do "hard labor" in...

Published Thu, May 02 2013 11:30 AM by FP Passport

Mapping the incredible spread of Mexican drug cartels in the U.S.

As Barack Obama heads to Mexico , U.S. involvement in Mexico's battle against drug cartels is getting a lot of press . But it's worth noting that Mexico's notorious narcotics trade isn't just Mexico's problem anymore. And Obama should...

Published Thu, May 02 2013 10:10 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: North America, Security, Drugs & Crime, Mexico, Borders, Barack Obama

Google 'recognizes' Palestine

First the United Nations, now Google. On Thursday, the Palestine News Network noticed that the Internet giant had changed the tagline for the Palestinian edition of its search engine, Google.ps , from the "Palestinian Territories" to "Palestine...

Published Thu, May 02 2013 9:40 AM by FP Passport

After bin Laden documentary premiere, CIA heroine remains elusive

The documentary promising to set the record straight on the mission to kill Osama bin Laden finally aired on Wednesday night, but the identity of the fabled female CIA officer at the center of the manhunt remains elusive. The documentary Manhunt , which...

Published Thu, May 02 2013 6:00 AM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: Classmates of alleged Boston bomber charged with impeding investigation

Classmates of alleged Boston bomber charged with impeding investigation Top news: Prosecutors on Wednesday charged three college friends of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings, with destroying evidence and misleading...

Published Thu, May 02 2013 5:37 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Labor unrest on Everest is older than you might think

The thin air and vertiginous slopes that exist at 20,000-plus feet above sea level on Mount Everest may not make for the ideal battleground -- but they certainly make for a captivating one. So on April 27, when a fight erupted between three mountaineers...

Published Wed, May 01 2013 5:30 PM by FP Passport

Wait, the U.S. is making Mexican security officials take polygraph tests?

Fraying cooperation in the drug war will surely be top of mind as President Obama meets with his counterpart Enrique Peña Nieto in Mexico this week. And perhaps nothing encapsulates Mexico's growing impatience with America's heavy-handed approach...

Published Wed, May 01 2013 4:30 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: North America, Security, Drugs & Crime, Diplomacy, History, U.S. Foreign Policy, Military, Mexico, Borders, Barack Obama