Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

Lebanon heats up, and Mehlis hits back

All eyes in the Middle East are on Iran, but it may be Lebanon that is closer to war. On Sunday, the former head of Lebanese General Security, Gen. Jamil al-Sayyed, announced that he had been informed by his lawyer that a Damascus court had issued arrest...

Published Tue, Oct 05 2010 11:08 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Terrorism, Justice, Law, Middle East, Lebanon

Philippines may ban off-key national anthem singing

The Philippine Congress voted unanimously yesterday in favor of a law that forbids deviating from the tune of the country's national anthem or displaying the flag in an unpatriotic manner: The proposal has been put forward as the MPs felt that Filipino...

Published Wed, Oct 06 2010 10:06 AM by FP Passport

Iraq: the raveling

Ever since violence in Iraq receded from its peak in 2007, a cottage industry of sorts has sprung up ominously predicting a return to the bad old days. In the past year, there has been plenty of ammunition for these folks: Iraq's government formation...

Published Thu, Oct 07 2010 11:59 AM by FP Passport

Interpol issues arrest warrants for Pakistani military officers over Mumbai attacks

Dear Pakistani military officers Maj. Ali Sameer and Maj. Iqbal : You may want to delay that long-planned vacation to London. You see, Interpol has just issued warrants for your arrest over your alleged roles in the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. Interpol's...

Published Thu, Oct 07 2010 6:53 PM by FP Passport

Anna Chapman resurfaces at space launch

Everybody's (or at least the New York Post's ) favorite glamorous Russian spy has resurfaced, putting in an appearance at the launch of a Russian soyuz rocket, bound for the International Space Station: Dressed in a scarlet peacoat, she was spotted...

Published Fri, Oct 08 2010 10:25 AM by FP Passport

Is Europe's far-right surge overblown?

Austria's anti-immigrant Freedom Party put in a strong showing in Vienna's municipal elections yesterday, setting off a new round of media speculation about the apparent surge of the far right in Europe. Here's the Wall Street Journal : The...

Published Mon, Oct 11 2010 9:03 AM by FP Passport

"Fat Bear" speaks

Kim Jong Il's casino and Disneyland-loving son Kim Jong Nam is back in the headlines after kinda, sorta opposing his family's succession plans in an interview with the Japanese media: Speaking in Korean, he told Japan's TV Asahi, in an interview...

Published Tue, Oct 12 2010 8:04 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: North Korea

Another Hugo Chavez in the making?

RODRIGO BUENDIA/AFP Rafael Correa, President of Ecuador, has vowed to overhaul Ecuadorian politics after receiving an overwhelming mandate to convene an assembly to rewrite the country's constitution. Correa, who has threatened to default on Ecuador's...

Published Mon, Apr 16 2007 1:58 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Latin America, Politics

Thomas Friedman: The Power of Green

Be sure to check out Thomas Friedman's cover story in Sunday's New York Times Magazine , in which he mentions The First Law of Petropolitics , his FP cover story from last year's May/June issue. Freidman's groundbreaking essay, which details...

Published Sat, Apr 14 2007 6:47 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Foreign Policy magazine

Fouad Ajami is making sense

I beg to differ with my colleague Henry's harsh assessment of Fouad Ajami's piece in Wednesday's Wall Street Journal . Ajami makes a very important point about anti-Shiite prejudice in the Arab world, which is about 85 percent Sunni. Allow...

Published Fri, Apr 13 2007 2:06 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Middle East, Iraq

The tsunami's underwater victims

Jay Directo/AFP/Getty The earthquake off the coast of Indonesia in March 2005 not only killed over 900 people, but scientists have now found that the quake lifted an island almost four feet out of the water—causing one of the biggest coral die-offs...

Published Fri, Apr 13 2007 10:10 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Environment, Southeast Asia

Thursday Video: Bullfighting season gets under way

Spring is in the air—and in Spain and southern France, that's bad news for bulls. The bullfighting season kickstarted this last weekend with a holiday festival in the Provençal city of Arles; Seville and Madrid will have their celebrations...

Published Thu, Apr 12 2007 3:08 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Europe, France, Culture

The global showdown at Fenway Park

The baseball world was abuzz last night in anticipation of the confrontation between Boston Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka and Seattle outfielder Ichiro Suzuki. Major League Baseball's newest Japanese star was finally going to face its most established...

Published Thu, Apr 12 2007 6:58 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: North America, East Asia, Sports, globalization

Clamping down on rapists in South Africa

Later this month, South African women will be able to purchase the Rapex device, marketed as the "anti-rape condom." The rapex, shaped like a female condom, is worn internally and equipped with 25 teeth in its lining. The razor-sharp teeth fasten...

Published Wed, Apr 11 2007 12:12 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Africa, Human Rights, Public Health

Has Argentina launched a squid war

Over the weekend I had the chance to see the new Meryl Streep-as-Margaret Thatcher biopic The Iron Lady , which had too little about politics and too much about the Thatchers' frankly not-that-interesting marriage for my taste, but did have one fantastic...

Published Tue, Jan 17 2012 2:04 PM by FP Passport