March 2014 - Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

How the Venezuelan Government Made the Media into Its Most Powerful Ally

When former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez was briefly deposed in a 2002 coup, the country's press reacted with unbridled enthusiasm. The daily newspaper El Nacional welcomed the day's events with the headline "One step forward." But...

Published Mon, Mar 10 2014 5:00 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Latin America, Media

Morning Brief: Search Continues for Missing Malaysian Passenger Jet

Search Continues for Missing Malaysian Passenger Jet Malaysia: A Malasian Airlines jet bound from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on Saturday disappeared with all 239 passengers, leaving authorities scrambling over the weekend to piece together what happened...

Published Mon, Mar 10 2014 6:15 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

The Surprisingly Socialist Origins of International Women’s Day

International Women's Day was once a staple holiday of Eastern European communism, a day when bosses would give red flowers to their female employees. Ostensibly, it was a day to celebrate the achievements of women workers. But in practice, it was...

Published Sat, Mar 08 2014 11:00 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Europe, Russia, Politics, Eastern Europe, Women

This Is the Modern Axis of Buddhist Hate

The photo of the two monks above looks innocent enough. One of the men presents the other with a birthday present. It's difficult to make out, but it looks to be some sort of gold figurine on a red velvet base. In fact, the photo would be totally...

Published Fri, Mar 07 2014 12:21 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: East Asia, Islam, Religion, Burma

Morning Brief: Putin Rebuffs International Warnings

Putin Rebuffs International Warnings Top News : Vladimir Putin rebuffed calls from the international community to pullback troops from Crimea, saying Russia had to protect native Russian speakers in Ukraine. A Ukrainian official reported that there are...

Published Fri, Mar 07 2014 6:04 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Will Japan’s News Giant Bend the Knee Before Abe?

The new head of Japan's public broadcasting company, NHK, has some unusual ideas. Since assuming his position in January, Katsuto Momii has defended Japan's wartime practice of sexual slavery by arguing that all nations have done it during times...

Published Thu, Mar 06 2014 2:36 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Japan, East Asia, Politics, Media

Handicapping the North Korean Elections

North Korea is holding parliamentary elections. Well, sort of. Three days ahead of Sunday's vote, the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland looks set to complete yet another clean sweep of the 687-seat Supreme People's Assembly...

Published Thu, Mar 06 2014 8:26 AM by FP Passport

Where Did the Marshall Islands Just Go?

The Marshall Islands are a leading advocate of international action on climate change. If you ever needed an illustration for why, this is it. This week an unusually high tide, sometimes called a king tide, swept through the island nation's capital...

Published Thu, Mar 06 2014 7:47 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Global Warming, Pacific, International Organizations

Morning Brief: Ukraine Crisis Deepens as Crimea’s Parliament Votes to Join Russia

Ukraine Crisis Deepens as Crimea’s Parliament Votes to Join Russia Top news: Crimea's Moscow-backed parliament on Thursday voted unanimously to join the Russian Federation, setting a 10-day timeframe for a popular referendum on secession and dramatically...

Published Thu, Mar 06 2014 6:09 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

RT Journalist Resigns On-Air In Protest of Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

What's the point of having a government-funded propaganda network if your journalists refuse to accept the party line? That's a question Russian President Vladimir Putin is probably asking himself right about now. On Thursday, Liz Wahl, an anchor...

Published Wed, Mar 05 2014 3:55 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Europe, Russia, Media

Civil War Came to London, and You Won't Believe What This Little Girl Did Next

Actually, you will. After her neighborhood turned into a war zone, she fled along with her parents. They became refugees, scavenging for food and dodging gun fire. They became sick, and their diseases went untreated. The family was split up, the father...

Published Wed, Mar 05 2014 2:34 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Middle East, Foreign Aid, Syria

Leaked: EU Officials Speculate Kiev Snipers Acted on Protesters' Orders

With Kiev in mourning over the anti-government protesters who died while protesting against the ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, two top EU officials discussed a disturbing possibility: That the lethally effective snipers who played a large...

Published Wed, Mar 05 2014 12:14 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Diplomacy, Eastern Europe, Intelligence, Ukraine

U.N. Envoy Run Out of Crimea by Pro-Russian Thugs

First he was abducted by unidentified gunmen. Then, he wasn't. Now, Robert Serry, the United Nations' special envoy for the Ukraine crisis, is leaving the Crimean peninsula as fast as his plane can return him to Kiev. On Wednesday, officials at...

Published Wed, Mar 05 2014 11:38 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Europe, Russia, Diplomacy, United Nations, Military, Ukraine

Morning Brief: EU Offers Cash-Strapped Ukraine $15 Billion in Aid

EU Offers Cash-Strapped Ukraine $15 Billion in Aid Top news: With Russian forces holding Crimea and the Ukrainian economy in desperate need of financial assistance, the European Union announced Wednesday that it would offer a $15 billion aid package to...

Published Wed, Mar 05 2014 6:07 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

RT Host Condemns Russian Invasion of Ukraine, Gets Threatened with Crimean Exile

This is what it looks like when a cog in Vladimir Putin's propaganda machine comes loose. On Monday, Abby Martin, a presenter on the Kremlin-funded RT cable network, signed off with an unscripted and emotional tirade "from [her] heart" against...

Published Tue, Mar 04 2014 1:41 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Russia, Eastern Europe, Media

March 2014 - Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

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How the Venezuelan Government Made the Media into Its Most Powerful Ally

Morning Brief: Search Continues for Missing Malaysian Passenger Jet

The Surprisingly Socialist Origins of International Women’s Day

This Is the Modern Axis of Buddhist Hate

Morning Brief: Putin Rebuffs International Warnings

Will Japan’s News Giant Bend the Knee Before Abe?

Handicapping the North Korean Elections

Where Did the Marshall Islands Just Go?

Morning Brief: Ukraine Crisis Deepens as Crimea’s Parliament Votes to Join Russia

RT Journalist Resigns On-Air In Protest of Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

Civil War Came to London, and You Won't Believe What This Little Girl Did Next

Leaked: EU Officials Speculate Kiev Snipers Acted on Protesters' Orders

U.N. Envoy Run Out of Crimea by Pro-Russian Thugs

Morning Brief: EU Offers Cash-Strapped Ukraine $15 Billion in Aid

RT Host Condemns Russian Invasion of Ukraine, Gets Threatened with Crimean Exile