Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

Would Americans stomach a war in Syria?

As President Barack Obama mulls what to do about evidence that the Syrian regime used chemical weapons against its own citizens, two new polls gauging Americans' attitudes toward intervention won't make his decision any easier. A Pew survey released...

Published Tue, Apr 30 2013 5:42 AM by FP Passport

Billionaire sheikh scrubs name from private island

Back in 2011, I wrote about a story that seemed way, way too good to be true: Sheikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan -- a member of Abu Dhabi's ruling family famous for owning rainbow-colored cars, the world's largest truck, and a globe-shaped motor...

Published Tue, Apr 30 2013 9:35 AM by FP Passport

Rapping jihadist's tweets showcase al-Shabab's internal divisions

It's been more than a year since Omar Hammami, an American-born jihadist in Somalia who made a name for himself with lo-fi propaganda rap productions , posted a video telling viewers he feared for his life. The threat he felt came not from the Somali...

Published Tue, Apr 30 2013 4:15 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Terrorism, al Qaeda, Security, Africa, Internet, Somalia

Why do China's globally ranked restaurants not serve Chinese food?

Restaurant magazine's 2013 list of the world's top 50 restaurants hasn't just made news this week for dropping Danish superstar Noma down a peg after its three-year reign at the top. It also features a restaurant from mainland China for the...

Published Wed, May 01 2013 10:40 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: China, Culture, Food/Agriculture

A guide to the Tsarnaev brothers' circle of associates

Did they act alone? How did they become radicalized? Those are the lingering questions surrounding Boston bombing suspects Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and investigators are zeroing in on their friends and associates for answers. The role of these...

Published Wed, May 01 2013 3:22 PM by FP Passport

After bin Laden documentary premiere, CIA heroine remains elusive

The documentary promising to set the record straight on the mission to kill Osama bin Laden finally aired on Wednesday night, but the identity of the fabled female CIA officer at the center of the manhunt remains elusive. The documentary Manhunt , which...

Published Thu, May 02 2013 6:00 AM by FP Passport

The unlikely winner in the war on drugs? Iran

As Barack Obama arrives in Mexico for the first visit of his second term in office, talk has inevitably turned to the United States' floundering war on drugs in Latin America. And as efforts are made to scrutinize what the United States and Mexico...

Published Thu, May 02 2013 12:00 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Middle East, Iran

Ecuador's ambassador to Peru proves that getting trounced in a supermarket brawl doesn't have to end your diplomatic career

It's every diplomat's worst nightmare: being summoned back to the mother country after getting trounced in a supermarket slapfest. But that's exactly what happened, at least temporarily, to Rodrigo Riofrío, Ecuador's ambassador to Peru...

Published Thu, May 02 2013 4:00 PM by FP Passport

Tunisian who sparked 'topless jihad' is back ... and blonde

When Amina Tyler, a 19-year-old Tunisian activist, posted topless photographs of herself on Facebook in March, she caused a global uproar. The tremendous backlash within Tunisia to the images -- which included one of Amina topless, hair short and black...

Published Fri, May 03 2013 9:20 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Women, Islam, Religion, North Africa

5 ways you know you're eating rat meat

On Thursday, China's Ministry of Public Security announced that the police had arrested 63 traders accused of buying rat, fox, and mink meat and then selling the meat as mutton. Apparently, the crime ring had been mixing the meat with gelatin, red...

Published Fri, May 03 2013 4:10 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: East Asia, China, Food/Agriculture

That awkward moment when ... Israel launches airstrikes in Syria

Syrian Facebook pages are reporting a series of massive explosions in Damascus, as are the Syrian regime's media outlets. A video claiming to be of these explosions can be seen here: Given the size of the blasts, and the news that Israeli jets earlier...

Published Sat, May 04 2013 6:47 PM by FP Passport

Morning Brief: Israel strikes military facility in Damascus, U.N. investigator says rebels used sarin

Israel strikes military facility in Damascus, U.N. investigator says rebels used sarin Top news: The Syrian government charged Sunday that an overnight airstrike that targeted what is believed to be a military research center in Damascus was carried out...

Published Mon, May 06 2013 5:44 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Malaysia’s strange history of importing votes

The kind of electoral fraud Malaysia's newly reelected Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition has been accused of seems too elaborate to be true. The opposition is alleging that BN brought in foreigners -- mainly from Bangladesh, Burma, and Indonesia --...

Published Mon, May 06 2013 3:45 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Politics, Elections, Southeast Asia, Democracy

Can Egypt's Islamist finance minister cut a deal with the IMF?

The big news in Cairo is that a long-awaited cabinet reshuffle has finally become a reality . President Mohamed Morsy swore in nine new ministers today in a move that increases the Muslim Brotherhood's representation in the government. The shakeup...

Published Tue, May 07 2013 8:08 AM by FP Passport

Ehud Barak learns to stop worrying about the Iranian bomb

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak expressed his views in Tel Aviv today on Israeli security, and he certainly made them interesting : It must be understood that if between the Jordan [River] and the [Mediterranean Sea] there is only one political entity...

Published Tue, Feb 02 2010 12:28 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Middle East, Israel/Palestine