Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

Does the PRISM leak expose the NSA's surveillance program to legal challenge?

Edward Snowden, the 29-year-old NSA contractor behind the PRISM leak, broke his long silence last week because he wanted Americans to know just how completely their privacy has been eviscerated in the name of security. "My sole motive is to inform...

Published Mon, Jun 10 2013 10:50 AM by FP Passport

Goodluck, Jonathan

Nigeria has a new acting president today, after the country's parliament finally voted that the vice president, Goodluck Jonathan, should stand in for Umaru Yar'Adua. The latter has been missing in action -- rumored dead or worse -- for several...

Published Tue, Feb 09 2010 10:14 AM by FP Passport

The surge: civilian contractors in Afghanistan?

Justin Elliott at Talking Points Memo reports on a Congressional Research Service report out today, showing the dramatic surge in civilian contractors working in Afghanistan. Contractors now account for a nearly a third of the armed forces in the country...

Published Thu, Jan 21 2010 7:50 AM by FP Passport

Former Bush officials rally behind CIA officer involved in torture tape scandal

Nothing brings former colleagues together like enhanced interrogation. This week, former Bush administration officials John Yoo and Marc Thiessen rallied to the defense of a newly promoted CIA officer under pressure for her reported support of enhanced...

Published Thu, Apr 04 2013 1:00 PM by FP Passport

How Lebanon dodged the Arab Spring

The Middle East, you may have noticed, has been an inhospitable place over the past several years for family dynasties. Egyptians revolted when it became increasingly obvious that Hosni Mubarak would attempt to pass the presidency off to his son, Gamal...

Published Fri, Apr 05 2013 7:19 AM by FP Passport

Why 'Ex-Gay' Group Exodus International Should Take Its Apology Overseas

Exodus International, the controversial evangelical Christian organization that since the 1970s has promoted "reparative therapy" as a cure for homosexuality, announced Wednesday that it is shutting down, with president Alan Chambers disavowing...

Published Thu, Jun 20 2013 9:00 AM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: Anti-government protests continue to roil Turkey

Anti-government protests continue to roil Turkey Top news: Protesters continued to clash with police overnight in Istanbul, where angry residents threw rocks and put up makeshift barricades as police deployed water cannons and tear gas to disperse what...

Published Mon, Jun 03 2013 5:45 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Stephen Colbert wags his finger at Foreign Policy

For FP contributor Jeff Stein spoiling a surprise in former CIA operative John Kiriakou's upcoming book. Our bad, Colbert. The Colbert Report Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c Tip/Wag - Waterboarding & Canada's History www.colbertnation.com Colbert...

Published Fri, Feb 05 2010 7:17 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Media

Forget debt, let's talk rice

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE David Roodman of the Center for Global Development has a thoughtful response to my blog post (responding in turn to his initial post ) on the growing calls to cancel Haiti's debt. To summarize, David...

Published Thu, Feb 04 2010 2:20 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: North America, Food/Agriculture, International Relations, Foreign Aid, International Organizations

US, China, and Too Much Fuss

The onslaught of recent commentary on U.S.-China disagreements has come so fast and furious over the last two weeks that one could be forgiven for thinking startling tectonic shifts had just reshaped the surface of the Earth. But the funny thing about...

Published Thu, Feb 04 2010 3:03 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: East Asia, China

What's Syria capable of doing with its sarin stockpile?

A flurry of questions followed Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's announcement Thursday that chemical weapons -- in particular, the nerve agent sarin -- were used in Syria. But since no one knows how the sarin was used or who exactly used it , let's...

Published Thu, Apr 25 2013 3:50 PM by FP Passport

Honduras crisis ends with a whimper

Half a year later, as new president Porfirio Lobo is sworn in, Honduras's political chaos appears to be coming to an end: The mustachioed Zelaya, known for his signature white cowboy hat, plans to abandon the Brazilian Embassy where he has been holed...

Published Wed, Jan 27 2010 9:26 AM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: Sri Lanka election results challenged

Sri Lanka election results challenged Top news: Sri Lanka's election authority has announced that incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa has won the country's first presidential election since the end of a 26-year civil war, but the results have been challenged...

Published Wed, Jan 27 2010 6:04 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

The strangest thing about Putin's appearance on Finland's secret criminal blacklist

On Wednesday we received the bizarre news that Russian President Vladimir Putin's name had mistakenly ended up on a secret criminal blacklist compiled by Finnish police. Those placed on the list face automatic detainment at the Finnish border and...

Published Thu, Apr 11 2013 3:45 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Russia, Politics, Eastern Europe, International Relations

Has Obama already violated his new and improved drone policy?

Early Wednesday, a U.S. drone strike in the tribal region of Pakistan reportedly killed Wali ur-Rehman, the Pakistani Taliban's second-in-command (in the blue vest above). The attack comes just six days after President Barack Obama unveiled tightened...

Published Wed, May 29 2013 4:00 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Terrorism, U.S. Foreign Policy, National Security