Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

Putin just messing with us now

Really? MOSCOW—Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly planning to put on a fake beak and fly a motorized hang-glider to lead a flock of endangered young Siberian white cranes on part of their migration to Asia. The cranes, raised in captivity...

Published Wed, Sep 05 2012 12:46 PM by FP Passport

Is Romney a closet moderate?

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE Thomas Friedman has an interesting column in today's New York Times that raises the question of whether Mitt Romney is actually as hawkish on foreign policy as he makes himself out to be. Friedman writes...

Published Wed, Sep 05 2012 11:06 AM by FP Passport

What would a Polkian presidency look like?

Romney campaign manager Matt Rhoades got a lot of reporters scratching their heads last week when he suggested that James K. Polk could be a historical model for Mitt Romney's presidency in an interview with the Huffington Post: hen I asked [Matt...

Published Wed, Sep 05 2012 10:22 AM by FP Passport

Photo: Wuhan turns on the Colonel

WUHAN, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 04: (CHINA OUT) People watch as 22 KFC family buckets and protest signs are placed outside a KFC fast food restaurant on September 4, 2012 in Wuhan, China. Mr. Yang, a customer, witnessed an employee prepare a hamburger without...

Published Wed, Sep 05 2012 10:17 AM by FP Passport

Contentious Quebec election ends in violence

The separatist Parti Quebecois's victory party after winning provincial elections yesterday was cut short by violence after a gunman opened fire , killing one man and leaving another in critical condition. The gunman began shooting just as PQ leader...

Published Wed, Sep 05 2012 10:09 AM by FP Passport

Putin on Romney: I can work with him

Last week, I noted how the Russian press was positively livid over Mitt Romney's aggressive posture toward Russia. Today, Russian President Vladimir Putin jumped into fray -- with a surprisingly measured response to a candidate who has asked whether...

Published Wed, Sep 05 2012 9:09 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Election 2012, Mitt Romney

Convention counter: How many times can the Democrats mention Osama bin Laden?

During their convention in Tampa, the Republicans mentioned Osama bin Laden a grand total of one time. "Every American was relieved the day President Obama gave the order, and Seal Team Six took out Osama bin Laden," Mitt Romney conceded . How...

Published Wed, Sep 05 2012 7:43 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: 2012 Election Poster 2, Barack Obama

Morning Brief: Clinton and Chinese leaders face off on Syria, South China Sea

Clinton and Chinese leaders face off on Syria, South China Sea Top news: During her second day of talks in Beijing on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton raised two of the touchiest topics in U.S.-Chinese relations: the Syrian crisis and...

Published Wed, Sep 05 2012 5:07 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

What issues matter most for Latino voters?

Ahead of San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro's keynote address at the Democratic convention in Charlotte on Tuesday night, there was a lot of talk about what his big moment and the prominence of Latino speakers at last week's Republican convention...

Published Tue, Sep 04 2012 9:36 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Election 2012

Democratic platform swaps 'American exceptionalism' for 'indispensable nation'

Last week, the GOP made the first ever reference to " American exceptionalism " in a party platform, using the buzzy term as the title for the document's foreign-policy section and defining the concept as the "conviction that our country...

Published Tue, Sep 04 2012 3:38 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Election 2012, 2012 Election Poster 2, Mitt Romney, Barack Obama

China has the Philippines on the ropes

The People's Liberation Army Navy has found a fairly straightforward way to protect one its strategic priorities in the South China Sea, the New York Times reported today : The dispute with the Philippines involves a cluster of reefs and rocks, the...

Published Tue, Sep 04 2012 11:11 AM by FP Passport

Does Obama actually have to BE Jewish?

As Lenny Bruce would say , "Dig: Obama's Jewish" -- or at least his friends say he is. Obama's longtime friend and supporter Alan Solow, former chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, has a suggestion...

Published Tue, Sep 04 2012 10:00 AM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: Hillary Clinton heads to Beijing amid territorial disputes

Hillary Clinton heads to Beijing amid territorial disputes Top news: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will meet with Chinese leaders in Beijing on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of a 10-day, six-nation visit to Asia. The trip comes as tensions rise...

Published Tue, Sep 04 2012 4:29 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Take the Peter Feaver challenge!

Over on Shadow Government, Peter Feaver continues his debate with Charles Kupchan and Bruce Jentleson with a challenge: In my piece, I identified four obvious mistakes (there were many more I could have chosen): announcing an arbitrary withdrawal timeline...

Published Sat, Sep 01 2012 7:25 AM by FP Passport

Mitt Romney’s silence on Afghanistan, by the numbers

It's rather surprising that it was mystery-guest actor Clint Eastwood -- not Mitt Romney -- who made the only reference to the war in Afghanistan during the final night of the GOP convention. Commentators on both the right and the left have taken...

Published Fri, Aug 31 2012 12:07 PM by FP Passport