Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

New Zealand to rewrite labor laws for Peter Jackson

Back in June, I blogged a too-good-to-check item from the Daily Mail about rapper Snoop Dogg trying to rent the entire country of Liechtenstein for a music video shoot. As absurd as that story sounded, I was reminded of it by the news that New Zealand...

Published Wed, Oct 27 2010 8:47 AM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: Security Council debate on Syria sputters

Security Council debate on Syria sputters Top news: Arab and Western states spent Tuesday calling on the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution urging Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down and delegate power to his deputy over his crackdown...

Published Wed, Feb 01 2012 5:17 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Falklands aren't the only islands Britain is going to have to fight for

Hopefully William Hague has been brushing up on his Spanish. In addition to rising tensions with Argentina over the Falklands, the British government may soon face a challenge from Spain over its claim to Gibraltar : Mariano Rajoy, Spain's new centre...

Published Thu, Feb 02 2012 9:56 AM by FP Passport

The latest Iran frenzy

The news gods have apparently decided that it's time for yet another round of Washington's favorite parlor game: "Will Israel attack Iran?" The latest round of speculation was kicked off by a mammoth New York Times magazine article by...

Published Thu, Feb 02 2012 8:15 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Middle East, Iran

Anonymous leaks FBI-Scotland Yard conference call

Earlier this week, Ars Technica 's Nate Anderson profiled the online hacker collective Anonymous for FP, writing, "when the Anonymous hive gets prodded, the prodder usually finds himself covered with bee stings and begging for mercy." Today's...

Published Fri, Feb 03 2012 9:32 AM by FP Passport

Russia's not-so-surprising February surprise

It's early to say how credible the reported assassination plot against Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is, but it is pretty clear that the Kremlin is taking full advantage of the timing of the announcement, just a week before the presidential...

Published Mon, Feb 27 2012 10:06 AM by FP Passport

New Putin ad aims at 'virgin' voters

In addition to suspiciously-timed announcements of assassination plots, the Kremlin is also continuing with its tried-and-true strategy of equating voting for Putin to getting it on. In this new ad, a young woman is informed by a fortune teller that her...

Published Mon, Feb 27 2012 12:12 PM by FP Passport

Guest blog: Remembering Chalmers Johnson - By Clyde Prestowitz

I have just learned of the death yesterday of my mentor and friend Chalmers Johnson at his home in Cardiff-by-the-Sea near San Diego. Chal, as he was known to his friends, was a man of many parts -- scholar, teacher, literary critic, activist, conversationalist...

Published Mon, Nov 22 2010 9:01 AM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: North and South Korea exchange artillery fire, two killed

North and South Korea exchange artillery fire, two killed Top story : North Korean artillery rounds struck the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, killing two South Korean soldiers, wounding another 15 soldiers and three civilians. South Korean artillery...

Published Tue, Nov 23 2010 6:01 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Is Kim Jong Un behind the assault?

All the usual caveats on North Korean regime speculation apply, but some analysts seem to be suggesting that North Korea artillery assault on a South Korean island this morning may have been ordered by heir apparent Kim Jong Un or at least related to...

Published Tue, Nov 23 2010 9:00 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: North Korea

Why is The Gambia picking a fight with Iran?

Tiny Gambia added itself to Iran's enemies this week when it abruptly cut diplomatic ties with the Islamic Republic and ordered its diplomats to leave the country. The announcement likely marks the end of Iranian investment in the African country...

Published Wed, Nov 24 2010 10:45 AM by FP Passport

Postmortem: Egypt's parliamentary election

Egypt's parliamentary elections went off today basically as expected, with vote buying , voter intimidation and fraud the norm across the country despite protests. What will change in Egypt as a result of today's parliamentary election? Probably...

Published Sun, Nov 28 2010 11:28 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Egypt, Arab World

Beijing's Pyongyang fatigue - By Charles Homans

Is China through with North Korea? That's the Guardian 's takeaway from the exchanges between American diplomats and their Chinese and South Korean counterparts in the first batches of State Department cables released by Wikileaks on Sunday and...

Published Mon, Nov 29 2010 10:55 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Security, North Korea, Diplomacy, East Asia, China, Obama Administration, U.S. Foreign Policy, Nukes, International Relations, State Department

WikiLeaked: Drone Envy

After you read through enough of these WikiLeaks cables, you realize that most of it is fairly mundane. And then you stumble on a line like this : Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to CENTCOM Commander John Abizaid: "The...

Published Tue, Nov 30 2010 6:45 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Media, Somalia

Foreign Policy honors the global thinkers of 2010

Tonight, the staff of Foreign Policy is getting all gussied up to celebrate our 40th anniversary by honoring the Top 100 Global Thinkers of 2010 at a special event at Washington's Corcoran Gallery of Art. The evening will include a special conversation...

Published Tue, Nov 30 2010 1:40 PM by FP Passport