Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

China takes another baby step away from one-child policy

China is introducing another very small loosening of its strict one-child policy: Currently only couples in which both husband and wife are only children are permitted to have a second child — and then only after a gap of at least four years between babies...

Published Mon, Jan 25 2010 10:21 AM by FP Passport

Did Romania's president use the occult to get reelected?

President Obama has brought back his 2008 campiagn manager David Plouffe to help get his domestic agenda back on track ahead of the 2010 midterm elections, but if he really wants to throw the Republicans off their game, he may want to take a trip to the...

Published Mon, Jan 25 2010 2:39 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Eastern Europe, Fun Stuff

Morning Brief: A second attack hits central Baghdad

A second attack hits central Baghdad Top story: Just a day after a coordinated suicide attack that killed 36 people at three Baghdad hotels, another blast hit the city center this morning, killing 17 outside the forensics department of the interior ministry...

Published Tue, Jan 26 2010 5:59 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Sarkozy's Putinesque TV talk show

Last night, French President Nicolas Sarkozy went on television for a very special appearance with 11 "typical" French voters and listened to their concerns. The Times' Charles Bremner describes the scene: The President sympathised, using...

Published Tue, Jan 26 2010 10:58 AM 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

The ANC launches fashion line

Always wanted to dress like Jacob Zuma? ANC designed leather jackets, initially made popular by the South African president, are now on sale. They're, well, a bit garish -- and, not surprisingly, haven't been received well by South Africa's...

Published Wed, Jan 27 2010 1:12 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Africa, Culture

Surprises in Obama's speech

What limited foreign-policy-related moments there were in Obama's speech tonight weren't too surprising. He checked a few familiar boxes, such as terrorism, North Korea, Iran, and nuclear weapons. But a couple moments caught my eye, for instance...

Published Wed, Jan 27 2010 8:39 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Obama Administration

Quiz: How many people worldwide serve in the military?

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 Thu, Jan 28 2010 9:54 AM by FP Passport

Bill Gates Owns Silvio Berlusconi

Not every day does Bill Gates lay the smack down on a sitting premier, but that was the case when the Microsoft founder slammed Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's foreign aid policy. Berlusconi's stolen Italian headlines in the last week...

Published Thu, Jan 28 2010 2:27 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Europe, Foreign Aid

Decision 2008: The Ukraine 2010 edition

The Financial Times takes a look at the high-profile Washington players brought in to advise Ukraine's presidential candidates, who are headed for a run-off on Feb. 7. There's an interesting partisan breakdown between the candidates: Paul Manafort...

Published Fri, Jan 29 2010 11:49 AM by FP Passport

China's growing arrogance

Remember how I said 2010 would be a rough year for U.S.-China relations ? The first shoe to drop was Google's announcement that the privacy of Chinese human rights activists using its email software had been violated, and that cyberattacks on its...

Published Sat, Jan 30 2010 8:25 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: East Asia, China

The Best of Bassem Youssef

It's been an exciting month for the funniest man in Egypt. Not only was Bassem Youssef, a heart surgeon-turned-satirical television host, briefly detained for "belittling" President Mohamed Morsy and "insulting" Islam, he was also...

Published Wed, Apr 24 2013 11:00 AM by FP Passport

Qatari prime minister: Bashar used chemical weapons

Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani on Wednesday accused the Syrian regime of using chemical weapons on its own people, joining Britain, France, and Israel in determining that Bashar al-Assad's forces had used deadly poison gas in violation...

Published Wed, Apr 24 2013 6:34 PM by FP Passport

Strategically, why would Syria have used chemical weapons on a 'small scale'?

The United States now says it has evidence that Syria used chemical weapons on a "small scale" -- an announcement that follows similar declarations by the French , British , Israelis , and Qataris . But the question no one has been able to answer...

Published Thu, Apr 25 2013 10:00 AM by FP Passport

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