Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

There Could Be an Iran Deal This Weekend, But Don't Expect Oil Prices to Plummet

If the West makes a deal this weekend with Iran -- one of the world's largest oil producers -- the price of crude will almost certainly fall on Monday. But after that? Don't count on it. "The assumption that a deal was coming had put some...

Published Fri, Nov 22 2013 4:21 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Diplomacy, Middle East, Energy, Finance, Oil, Iran

Did an Israeli Airstrike Just Kill These Adorable Newborn Lion Cubs?

The pair of lion cubs born on Monday in Gaza's Bissan Zoo were hailed as a triumph -- a rare optimistic sign in a region that has been devastated by militants within the Strip and a blockade along its borders. But that sudden spring of hope was quashed...

Published Fri, Nov 22 2013 12:41 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Middle East, Israel/Palestine, International Relations, Trade

Hunger Strikes and Blame Games: 5 Takeaways From the Warsaw Climate Conference

Warsaw's red-and-white National Stadium will return to its usual role as host of soccer matches and Madonna concerts after the United Nation's marquee climate change conference draws to a close on Friday. The talks, which started on Nov. 11, intended...

Published Fri, Nov 22 2013 11:29 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Europe, Environment

Japan Is Pinning All of its Expansionist Hopes on This Tiny Fluke Island

The authorities are saying it's too soon to determine whether Japan's tiny new island , forced up by an underwater volcanic eruption earlier this week, will actually stay above water. But never mind that. The country is apparently betting on this...

Published Fri, Nov 22 2013 10:58 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Japan, East Asia, China, Military

Morning Brief: Iran Talks Falter Amid International Bickering

Iran Talks Falter Amid International Bickering Top News: U.S. and Iranian diplomats did not meet yesterday in Geneva, FP 's Yochi Dreazen reports , though Iranian diplomats did meet with E.U. Foreign Minister Catherine Ashton. Despite a productive...

Published Fri, Nov 22 2013 4:47 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

One Man's Lonely Quest to Close the Door on Northern Ireland's Troubles

If John Larkin, Northern Ireland's Attorney General, has his way, crimes perpetrated before the end of the country's three-decade conflict between mainly Catholic Irish nationalists and Protestant loyalists will no longer be prosecuted. That conflict...

Published Thu, Nov 21 2013 4:27 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Europe, Human Rights, Law, Politics, Peace

Farewell, Everyman: Chinese React to Ambassador Locke’s Departure

Chinese are waving goodbye to the frustratingly normal U.S. ambassador to Beijing, Gary Locke, who announced on Nov. 20 that he will be leaving his post in early 2014. Over 300,000 netizens discussed Locke's resignation on Sina Weibo, the Twitter...

Published Thu, Nov 21 2013 2:10 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: East Asia, China, TLN

Don't Believe the Hype: Joseph Kony Isn't About to Surrender

If Michel Djotodia, the Central African Republic's rebel leader turned interim president, is to be believed, Joseph Kony, the head of the infamous Lord's Resistance Army, is about to emerge from the jungle and surrender. "It's true, Joseph...

Published Thu, Nov 21 2013 1:55 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Terrorism, Security, Africa, Diplomacy, Politics

Buffalo Teeth, Chicken Dinners, and 'Juju': The Strangest Sports Superstitions

After losing a key match to their rivals How Mine, officials from the Zimbabwean soccer team CAPS United decided to check out the locker room of their opponents. What they found convinced the team that they had lost the match on account of their opponents'...

Published Thu, Nov 21 2013 11:21 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: North America, Africa, Fun Stuff

Is the White House so Scared of Turkey That it Won't Even Hang a Rug?

In 1926, Vartoohi Galezian -- a 15-year-old refugee from the genocide in Armenia -- arrived at the White House to pay a visit to President Calvin Coolidge. She had come to view the rug she and 1,400 other orphans living in Ghazir -- then part of mandate...

Published Thu, Nov 21 2013 10:23 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Middle East, History, Obama Administration, International Relations, Foreign Aid, Turkey

Morning Brief: U.S. and Afghanistan Agree to Draft for Cooperation After 2014

U.S. and Afghanistan Agree to Draft for Cooperation After 2014 Top News: The U.S. and Afghan governments have agreed on the draft of an agreement that lays out the framework for cooperation between U.S. counterterrorism forces and Afghan National Security...

Published Thu, Nov 21 2013 4:49 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Morning Brief

Elle Got North Korean Fashion All Wrong -- Here's Why

Elle magazine's creative director, Joe Zee, has been getting a lot of flack for characterizing a military-inspired runway trend as "North Korea Chic" in their August issue. The spread, which featured an assortment of olive drab menswear...

Published Wed, Nov 20 2013 2:11 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: North Korea, East Asia, Culture

Indonesian President Furious to Learn That His Own Spying Tactics Were Used Against Him

On Wednesday, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono suspended a range of bilateral initiatives with Australia amid allegations of spying. According to documents leaked by Edward Snowden, Australian intelligence officials tapped the phones of the...

Published Wed, Nov 20 2013 12:27 PM by FP Passport

Hey, U.N.: It's Time Keep Up With the Kardashians (on Twitter)

Try as they might, international organizations just can't compete with Kim Kardashian. While Twitter is becoming an increasingly important tool for groups like the World Health Organization, the United Nations, and the International Monetary Fund...

Published Wed, Nov 20 2013 11:53 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: United Nations, International Organizations

Amsterdam's Plan to Pay Alcoholics in Beer is Just 'Dutch Pragmatism'

An unusual Dutch initiative aims to put an end to one of Amsterdam's worst nuisances -- those bawdy, loitering alcoholics -- by employing them in a kind of street cleaning corps. The problem, though, is that the state-financed Rainbow Foundation behind...

Published Wed, Nov 20 2013 7:25 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Europe