Foreign Policy Public Health Blog

The Oscars of Foreign Policy

There's no two ways about it: the last year of foreign policy has more drama than a Scorsese epic and enough thrills to put Avatar to shame. From the fearsome battle in the Afghan hills, to the U.S. and China's love-hate relationship, and from...

Published Mon, Feb 01 2010 11:26 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: al Qaeda, Britain, Culture, Politics, Afghanistan, Media, History, Fun Stuff, Celebs, Obama Administration, U.S. Foreign Policy, Iran

Meet the combatants in today's big Benghazi hearing

Today, the House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform is convening its long-awaited hearing on the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi -- one that will feature a group of self-described "whistleblowers" from inside the...

Published Wed, May 08 2013 8:40 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Obama Administration, U.S. Foreign Policy, U.S. Congress, Libya

Aussie PM: Let's drop the monarchy after the Queen goes

With close-fought elections coming up on Saturday, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has proposed that the country do away with it's recognition of the British monarchy, but only after the reign of Queen Elizabeth ends: "What I would like...

Published Tue, Aug 17 2010 8:39 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Australia

An inside job in the Green Zone

Today's bombing attack on the Iraqi parliament (video here ) is an ominous sign that the Green Zone has been penetrated. TIME 's Brian Bennett reports from Baghdad: An official at the Ministry of the Interior told TIME that the bomber was wearing...

Published Thu, Apr 12 2007 3:43 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Terrorism, al Qaeda, Middle East, Iraq

So, You Captured an al Qaeda Terrorist and Are Holding Him at Sea. Now What?

On Saturday, U.S. Navy SEALs captured Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, better known by his nom de guerre, Abu Anas al-Libi, in a brazen raid on his home in Tripoli, Libya. Libi was indicted in New York in 2000 for his role in al Qaeda's bombing of U.S...

Published Mon, Oct 07 2013 3:50 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: al Qaeda, Security, Justice, Law, Politics, Middle East, U.S. Foreign Policy, Military, International Relations, North Africa

Meet the American Supporting Myanmar's Controversial Pro-Buddhist Movement

He's a self-proclaimed "white American national" who has no family connections to Myanmar and has never visited the country. He's not an expert on its politics either, he tells me -- which becomes clear later in our conversation when...

Published Fri, Jul 12 2013 11:50 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Religion, Southeast Asia, Burma

Top Brotherhood Leaders Slapped With Arrest Warrants

CAIRO — On Wednesday, Egypt's prosecutor's office issued arrest warrants for Brotherhood supreme guide Mohammed Badie and nine other top officials in the movement. The officials are accused of inciting violence at the Republican Guard headquarters...

Published Wed, Jul 10 2013 8:28 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Egypt

Little orange dresses ruffle feathers at the World Cup

It's hard to imagine being criticized -- much less punished -- for taking World Cup spirit too far. Indeed, excess seems to be precisely the name of these games. For anyone who thinks their face-paint masterpieces are prize-worthy, the award for over...

Published Wed, Jun 16 2010 1:44 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Africa, Women, Fun Stuff, Sports

What Makes a Sex Shop Halal?

Responding to apparent pent-up demand for tacky bachelorette parties, the 38-year old Turkish entrepreneur Haluk Murat Demirel has opened the country's first halal (permissible in Islam) sex shop online. It's not the first such enterprise in the...

Published Wed, Oct 23 2013 3:00 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Culture, Middle East, Religion, Turkey

Al Qaeda's Yemen Affiliate Keeps Threatening U.S. Embassies

As new details have emerged about the terrorist threat that forced the closure of 19 U.S. diplomatic posts and the evacuation of American and British personnel from Yemen, officials have repeatedly raised alarms about how remarkably specific this particular...

Published Tue, Aug 06 2013 10:00 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Terrorism, al Qaeda, Security, Diplomacy, Middle East, Intelligence, U.S. Foreign Policy, Yemen, National Security

The Harshest Critic of Egypt's Liberal Protesters Is One of Their Own

Egypt's liberals have a powerful, outspoken new critic, and he's one of their own: "My dear anti-Brotherhood liberal, allow me to remind you that just a few weeks ago you were desperately complaining about how grim the future looked, but...

Published Fri, Jul 19 2013 8:00 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Politics, Middle East, Media, North Africa, Egypt, Democracy

Should the CIA Be Sharing Intelligence with Hezbollah?

The enemy of the CIA's enemy in Lebanon is still its enemy. But, according to a report for McClatchy by FP contributor Mitchell Prothero , when the CIA discovered that al Qaeda-affiliated rebel groups in Syria were plotting attacks against Hezbollah's...

Published Tue, Jul 16 2013 3:00 PM by FP Passport

Filed under: Terrorism, al Qaeda, Middle East, Obama Administration, Intelligence, U.S. Foreign Policy, Lebanon, International Relations, National Security

Summoning Syria

The U.S. State Department summoned Syria's top diplomat in Washington, Zouheir Jabbour, to rebuke his government for transferring arms to Hezbollah. This was apparently the fourth time in recent weeks that the United States had raised these concerns...

Published Tue, Apr 20 2010 7:39 AM by FP Passport

Filed under: Terrorism, Middle East, Israel/Palestine, Intelligence, U.S. Foreign Policy, Syria

Is the Muslim Brotherhood Using Puppies as Bombs? (Spoiler: No.)

Here's a story fit for Halloween from CBS's New York affiliate (hat tip to journalist Patrick Galey ): According to reporter Amy Dardashtian, Muslim Brotherhood members marching on Tahrir Square were caught "using puppies as gas bombs --...

Published Thu, Oct 31 2013 8:47 AM by FP Passport

Responding to He Yafei: Who's to blame for the downturn in U.S.-Chinese relations?

Just how bad are U.S.-Chinese relations these days, and who's to blame for the downturn? China's former Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei has published an essay in Foreign Policy today on the worrying state of the world's most important relationship...

Published Mon, May 13 2013 1:20 PM by FP Passport