Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

"El Qaeda" is nothing new

Last week, I complained that Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was using the drug bust of three African suspected al Qaeda members as proof of an alliance between al Qaeda and Colombia's FARC rebels when there weren't even actual FARC members...

Published Tue, Jan 12 2010 11:23 AM by FP Passport

Russian Communists: Ban Avatar!

U.S. conservatives have blasted James Cameron's blockbuster space epic Avatar for depicting U.S. marines as villains, others have critiqued it as a patronizing tale of a white American rescuing a native people from the ravages of imperialism, but...

Published Tue, Jan 12 2010 9:33 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Russia, Culture

What the heck is Cabinda?

In the the wake of last week's tragic attack on the Togolese soccer team at the Afrcia Cup of Nations tournament, Ethan Zuckerman provides some useful background on Cabinda, the fluke of a province where the attack took place: If the world’s media...

Published Tue, Jan 12 2010 8:56 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Africa

Freedom House: freedom declines again

Freedom House released its 2010 Freedom in the World survey, which sadly, shows overall freedom declining around the world for the fourth straight year. The report designates a total of 89 countries as free, 58 as partly free, and 47 as not free. Last...

Published Tue, Jan 12 2010 8:39 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Freedom

Morning Brief: On Pacific trip, Clinton downplays tension with Japan and China

On Pacific trip, Clinton downplays tension with Japan and China Top story: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is kicking off a nine-day tour of the pacific region with a meeting in Hawaii with her Japanese counterpart, Foreign Minister Katsuyo Okada....

Published Tue, Jan 12 2010 5:22 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Jon Yoo on John Stewart, II

Well, I just watched John Yoo -- a member of the Office of Legal Counsel during the George W. Bush administration and the author of the infamous "torture memos" -- on John Stewart's The Daily Show . It was among the more excruciatingly awkward...

Published Mon, Jan 11 2010 9:16 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Terrorism, Bush's Legacy, Bush Administration

John Yoo on Jon Stewart, II

Well, I just watched John Yoo -- a member of the Office of Legal Counsel during the George W. Bush administration and the author of the infamous "torture memos" -- on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show . It was among the more excruciatingly awkward...

Published Mon, Jan 11 2010 9:16 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Terrorism, Bush's Legacy, Bush Administration

John Yoo on Jon Stewart

I'll be live-tweeting at www.twitter.com/annielowrey and will be back with a wrap-up post. Pass the popcorn. Read More...

Published Mon, Jan 11 2010 8:02 PM by FP Passport

When Britain occupied Yemen

No, U.S. President Barack Obama has informed People . The United States has no interest in or plans to invade Yemen or Somalia -- and nor should it. Out of curiosity, I took a look at the experience of the last western power to occupy part of Yemen: Britain...

Published Mon, Jan 11 2010 4:34 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Terrorism, Middle East, History

Guido Westerwelle and the giant floating head of Ali Abdullah Saleh

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle paid a surprise visit to Yemen today to meet with President Ali Abdullah Saleh and ask for his help in locating German hostages who have been held in the country since June. Do you think the Yemenis might have...

Published Mon, Jan 11 2010 3:15 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Diplomacy, Middle East, Germany

Monday Morning Chavez: A world leader for the Drudge era

I see Hugo Chavez is talking about sending in the troops to enforce price controls: Speaking on his weekly television program, "Alo Presidente," Chavez railed against merchants who re-price their items in reaction to Friday's announcement...

Published Mon, Jan 11 2010 2:03 PM by FP Passport

The "right" stuff

Percentage of Afghans who believe their country is going in the "right direction": 70 Percentage of Americans who believe their country is going in the "right direction": 36.6 Read More...

Published Mon, Jan 11 2010 11:40 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Afghanistan, Central Asia

$50 billion, 30 years, and 4,000 corrupt Chinese officials

One of the biggest stories of the weekend -- that some $50 billion in state funds was smuggled out of China over the past 30 years by as many as 4,000 corrupt officials -- was broken by Chinese state media. (Western sources, such as the AFP, alternatingly...

Published Mon, Jan 11 2010 11:07 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: East Asia, China

Yemen: Show us the money

I can't really condone SNL's policy of having every sleazy "ethnic" character be played by Fred Armisen in what seems like the same accent, but last Saturday's cold open did a pretty good job of summing up what happens when a country...

Published Mon, Jan 11 2010 11:03 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Terrorism, Middle East, Fun Stuff

What we write about when we write about Yemen

Many thanks to Gregory Johnsen for weighing in on the article that I wrote about Yemen's "most wanted" terrorists . Without the research that he has done on al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) over the years, it would have been literally...

Published Mon, Jan 11 2010 9:26 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: al Qaeda, Middle East