Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

The World's Billionaires Have Doubled Their Wealth Since 2009. Just In Case You Didn't Hate Them Already.

Recession be damned: There are more billionaires today than there were during the global financial crisis in 2008 and 2009 -- and they're twice as rich, says a new report released Wednesday. The Billionaire Census , jointly compiled by Swiss financial...

Published Wed, Nov 06 2013 12:40 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: East Asia, China, Culture, Economics, Finance, Business

Spring break Batumi?

The government of Georgia is courting MTV in its effots to improve its image in the world and encourage tourism. EurasiaNet.org reports : In a bid to promote Georgia's profile in world markets and attract tourists and investors, Tbilisi has signed...

Published Wed, Dec 22 2010 11:07 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Caucasus, globalization

Ukrainian Hipsters Say No to Sex with Russians

With Russian forces in firm control of the Crimean peninsula, a group of Ukrainian women are fighting back under a simple, attention-grabbing slogan: "Don't give it to the Russians." The campaign -- the goal of which is exactly what it sounds...

Published Mon, Mar 24 2014 3:49 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Russia, Eastern Europe, Women, Ukraine

Building Palestinian Democracy, One Brick at a Time

Palestinian businessman Bashar al-Masri has a plan for building democracy on the West Bank. And it's not really about politics. Read More...

Published Fri, May 30 2014 1:19 PM by Foreign Policy

Filed under: Profile

The Arab press downplays WikiLeaks

The L.A. Times ' Babylon and Beyond blog reports that unlike in most of the world, the WikiLeaks dump of U.S. diplomatic cables isn't getting that much attention in the pan-Arab press: Headlines in the heavily state-controlled Saudi media were...

Published Tue, Nov 30 2010 11:05 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Media, Arab World

Malawi’s frugal independence day

While most countries use independence day as an excuse for over-the-top indulgence, Malawi's new President Joyce Banda has a more modest interpretation. As her country prepared to celebrate its 48 th year of independence from Great Britain, Banda...

Published Fri, Jul 06 2012 1:50 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Africa, Corruption

Iran Watch: Oil, oil everywhere

With all the talk about an April 13 date being set for nuclear talks between Iran and the world's top powers, another important milestone got lost in the shuffle: today, March 30, when President Obama is required by a U.S. sanctions law to determine...

Published Fri, Mar 30 2012 1:00 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Iran, Flash Points, Iran Watch

Kim Jong Un and His Hipster Submarine Make Their Instagram Debut

Hollande Tries to Kickstart His Presidency Like the Scooter He Rides to His Trysts

He's the most unpopular French president in modern memory. He's struggled to jumpstart his country's sluggish economy. And on Tuesday French President Francois Hollande faced an assembled 500 journalists to present his plan for how to bring...

Published Tue, Jan 14 2014 2:14 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Europe, France, Politics, Economics

Clueless in Gaza - By Abdalla Khader

It’s time for the Palestinians to change the discourse from reconciliation to elections. Read More...

Published Mon, Aug 12 2013 4:07 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Diplomacy, Politics, Elections, Israel/Palestine, Default, Free, Web Exclusive, Democracy, Argument, Democracy Lab, Democracy Lab Top Story

Egyptian TV Claims ‘The Simpsons’ Predicted the Syrian Civil War

In 2001, Bart Simpson teamed up with his friends Milhouse, Nelson, and Ralph to form the boy band Party Posse and record a music video in which these boys of Springfield bomb a group of armed, hostile-looking Arabs. The song -- "Drop Da Bomb"...

Published Tue, May 06 2014 1:41 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Middle East, Fun Stuff, Egypt, Syria

China's Little Secret

Beijing wants people to forget the Sino-Vietnamese War. Read More...

Published Wed, Feb 19 2014 2:23 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: East Asia, China, Military, Default, Free, Web Exclusive, TLN, Tea Leaf Nation

Does Laura Poitras’ New Film Solve the Snowden Riddle?

The Dams of Chongqing

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE Mapmakers and geologists divide the Yangtze River, the third largest in the world, into three sections: China's mighty "Mother River" begins in the Tibetan plateau, slowly gathering strength...

Published Fri, Mar 30 2012 11:18 AM by FP Passport

The No-Longer-So-Secret Swiss Bank Account

Bankers from Credit Suisse, one of the world's largest financial institutions, courted wealthy Americans in airports, at family weddings and on golf courses from Florida to the Bahamas with a simple pitch: We'll help you hide your money. The bankers...

Published Wed, Feb 26 2014 1:41 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Europe, Law, Politics, U.S. Congress, Finance, Business