May 2013 - Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

The greatest hits from the New York Times journalist asked to leave Pakistan

With Pakistan's election just around the corner on Saturday -- and amid a month-long campaign of violence that local papers have dubbed the " reign of terror " -- the New York Times reported Friday that Pakistan's Interior Ministry has...

Published Fri, May 10 2013 4:00 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Pakistan, Politics, Media, South Asia, Democracy

Egyptian activist arrested in Cairo after meeting with officials in Washington

Egyptian activist Ahmed Maher, a co-founder of the April 6 Youth Movement, was arrested at the Cairo International Airport on Friday, according to Egyptian press reports . He was returning to Egypt from a 13-day trip to the United States hosted by the...

Published Fri, May 10 2013 2:40 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Diplomacy, Middle East, Obama Administration, International Relations, North Africa, Egypt, Democracy

When it comes to ethics, why do consumers care more about coffee than clothes?

The death toll from the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh has now surpassed 1,000 , intensifying international scrutiny on the labor and safety conditions of garment workers in the country. And while some have called for boycotts of major...

Published Fri, May 10 2013 8:00 AM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: Pakistan prepares for first democratic transition after wild and bloody campaign

Pakistan prepares for first democratic transition after wild and bloody campaign Top news: With campaigning officially ended ahead of Pakistan's parliamentary elections tomorrow, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's party is expected to take the...

Published Fri, May 10 2013 5:41 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Harold Koh’s Oxford Union speech: a Rorschach test for the war on terror

When a former Obama administration legal advisor delivers a tough criticism of the president's prosecution of the war on terror, what do you see? Evidence of the manifest illegality of the White House's drone program? An example of Obama's...

Published Thu, May 09 2013 5:20 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Law, U.S. Foreign Policy, Bush's Legacy, Barack Obama

State Department to Cody Wilson: Take your gun blueprints off the Internet

The State Department isn't too happy about Cody Wilson's 3-D printed gun . In a letter to Wilson dated May 8, the department asked the University of Texas law student to take down 10 designs -- including one for the first fully functional 3-D...

Published Thu, May 09 2013 4:20 PM by FP Passport

Are you qualified to run for president in Iran?

It's open season in Tehran: For five days beginning on May 7, presidential hopefuls are registering to run for president in the country's June 14 presidential election. And the number of entrants into the rough-and-tumble world of Iranian politics...

Published Thu, May 09 2013 4:00 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Elections, Religion, Iran, North Africa

Iran unveils new drone, names it 'Epic'

Faithful readers of Iran's state-run news outlets might have noticed a lot of hype this week about President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's plans to unveil a new Iranian-made surveillance and combat drone -- the country's "most advanced"...

Published Thu, May 09 2013 1:40 PM by FP Passport

A guide to the Pakistani Taliban's 'reign of terror' ahead of elections

With Pakistani elections looming on May 11, it seems like every day brings a new report about destabilizing attacks in the country. The unrelenting violence, which Pakistan's Express Tribune has dubbed the " Reign of Terror ," includes assassinations...

Published Thu, May 09 2013 12:00 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Terrorism, Security, Pakistan, Politics, South Asia, Democracy

Have other countries experienced kidnap cases like Cleveland's?

Held captive in a dilapidated house in Cleveland for a decade, Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight were allegedly raped and beaten by Ariel Castro , who now faces multiple charges of kidnapping and rape. The harrowing story of the women's...

Published Thu, May 09 2013 10:20 AM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: Bangladesh factory toll passes 900 amid news of new tragedy

Bangladesh factory toll passes 900 amid news of new tragedy Top news: The death toll from last month's building collapse in Bangladesh topped 900 Thursday, amid news that the country had been hit with a fresh industrial disaster. Shortly after midnight...

Published Thu, May 09 2013 5:27 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Is this the most insane sport in the world?

There are a lot of crazy sports out there -- the Ironman triathlon, volcano boarding , and crocodile bungee jumping all come to mind -- and then there's this: The New York Times has a story today about the Battle of the Nations, an insane, full-contact...

Published Wed, May 08 2013 4:00 PM by FP Passport

Yemen signals it may release journalist accused of AQAP ties

Yemen's transitional government is signaling that it may release Abdulelah Haider Shaye, a Yemeni journalist who was arrested in August 2010 and who U.S. intelligence officials believe supported al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Shaye was sentenced...

Published Wed, May 08 2013 2:40 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: al Qaeda, Human Rights, Middle East, Obama Administration, Intelligence, U.S. Foreign Policy, International Relations, Yemen, Barack Obama

How do you investigate North Korean human rights abuses from afar?

Normal 0 false false false EN-US ZH-CN X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 On Tuesday, the U.N. Human Rights Council announced the three individuals who will lead the body's first-ever human rights investigation into North Korea. In an interview with...

Published Wed, May 08 2013 1:50 PM by FP Passport

Americans have been more interested in the Benghazi hearings than the Benghazi attacks

Liberal commentators have dismissed today's hearings on the Obama administration's response to the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi as a purely political exercise aimed at scoring points against the Obama adminsitration rather...

Published Wed, May 08 2013 10:10 AM by FP Passport