Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

Qaddafi declares jihad against Switzerland

This is getting ridiculous : "Any Muslim in any part of the world who works with Switzerland is an apostate, is against (the Prophet) Mohammad, God and the Koran," Gaddafi said during a meeting in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi to mark...

Published Thu, Feb 25 2010 1:52 PM by FP Passport

Why ElBaradei needs to get his hands dirty

It's hard not to be just a little excited about the potential of Mohamed ElBaradei, who has spurred the creation of a Facebook group with over 100,000 members and round-the-clock coverage of his every word in the Egyptian blogosphere , to shake up...

Published Thu, Feb 25 2010 1:36 PM by FP Passport

Global trade craters

Bad news from the World Trade Organization: Global trade crashed a whopping 12 percent last year, around 20 percent more than anticipated and the most since the end of World War II. Pascal Lamy, the head of the WTO, used the occasion to call for the resumption...

Published Thu, Feb 25 2010 11:30 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Financial crisis, Development, Economics, Finance

Nicholas Sarkozy's apology tour

French President Nicholas Sarkozy has, in the past, shown little interest in discussing the darker periods of French history. His summed up his attitude while visiting former colony Algeria two years ago, saying : "Young people on either side of...

Published Thu, Feb 25 2010 10:47 AM by FP Passport

The Greece v. Germany row gets deeper

Two weeks ago, European leaders tapped Germany to lead a bailout of Greece. Since then -- sturm und drang and chaos . Germans are infuriated over everything from Greece's hiring of Wall Street firms to hide its debt to the country's retirement...

Published Thu, Feb 25 2010 10:05 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Europe, Financial crisis, Finance

How the world does drugs

The UN's International Narcotics Control Board released its annual report on the global trade Wednesday. A few points to ponder: The gender gap is closing; men have typically exhibited higher rates of drug use than women globally, but in many countries...

Published Thu, Feb 25 2010 9:51 AM by FP Passport

When the European Parliament stops being polite

As RFE's Luke Allnut notes , "It's always been one of the European Parliament's most delicious ironies that many of its members are dyed-in-the-wool Euroskeptics. The above rant Nigel Farage of the anti-EU United Kingdom Independence...

Published Thu, Feb 25 2010 7:11 AM by FP Passport

Live: New America and FP co-host event on al Qaeda

Live streaming video by Ustream Two strikingly different but simultaneously accurate pictures of al-Qaeda have dominated recent discussion of the terrorist group: one, a resilient foe still determined to attack the United States and its interests abroad...

Published Thu, Feb 25 2010 6:02 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Afghanistan, Foreign Policy magazine

Morning Brief: India and Pakistan hold first meeting since Mumbai attack

India and Pakistan hold first meeting since Mumbai attack Top story: India and Pakistan held their first talks since the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack today. No formal breakthroughs were achieved, or expected, in the four-hour meeting in New Delhi between...

Published Thu, Feb 25 2010 5:54 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Where China is investing

The Heritage Foundation has pulled together a fascinating study of Chinese investment -- showing (with really nice charts and maps!) just where all of those yuan are heading overseas. A few things to note, plus one question.... Sub-Saharan Africa is the...

Published Wed, Feb 24 2010 2:18 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: East Asia, China, Business

China's ethnic theme parks

News items about minority issues in China typically focus on the often contentious relationship between the authorities and members of China's 56 recognized ethnic groups. But there's another dynmaic of race relations in China: what the majority...

Published Wed, Feb 24 2010 1:15 PM by FP Passport

Yar'Adua: back, but not in action

If there's one thing I'm sure of this morning it's this: the reason I was never a better reporter in Nigeria is because I slept "normal" hours. In Nigeria, big news always happens after midnight. That's what happened last night...

Published Wed, Feb 24 2010 10:44 AM by FP Passport

Tymoshenko relents... sort of

After almost two weeks of protest, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has dropped her charges of electoral fraud against Viktor Yanukovich, but not without a parting salvo. On February 20, after officially withdrawing her petition with the Ukrainian...

Published Wed, Feb 24 2010 9:30 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Europe, Elections

Quiz: How many ambassadors to the United States are women?

For those of you who don't subscribe to the bimonthly print edition of Foreign Policy , you're missing a great feature: the FP Quiz. It has eight intriguing questions about how the world works. The question I'd like to highlight this week...

Published Wed, Feb 24 2010 9:27 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Diplomacy, Women, Hillary

Eric Cartman borrows 200 AK-47s

Nathan Hodge reports on today's Senate Blackwater hearings for Danger Room: Another issue the committee probed was Bunker 22, an armory near the notorious Pol-e-Charki prison that held weapons meant for the Afghan National Police. According to the...

Published Wed, Feb 24 2010 9:25 AM by FP Passport