Foreign Policy Blogs

The FPA’s Must Reads (January 30 – February 6)

Prince Turki Al Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who is accused by an Al Qaeda prisoner of financing the 9/11 attacks (Photo: Marc Muller via Wikimedia Commons).

Prince Turki Al Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who is accused by an Al Qaeda prisoner of financing the 9/11 attacks (Photo: Marc Muller via Wikimedia Commons).

Moussaoui Calls Saudi Princes Patrons of Al Qaeda
The New York Times
By Scott Shane

This article covers the suspicion that’s existed since months after 9/11, members of the Saudi government financed the attack, Zacarias Moussaoui, an Al Qaeda prisoner long-held by the U.S., offered to testify on the matter.

Could the End of the Embargo Kill the Cuban-Cigar Industry?
The Village Voice
By Michael E. Miller

Michael Miller writes on the economic and trade impacts of normalizing relations with Cuba, specifically looking at the fate of one of Cuba’s most iconic exports—the Cuban cigar.

Welcome to Ukraine, the most corrupt nation in Europe
The Guardian
By Oliver Bullough

For Ukraine, a stable government and peace among citizens has been an unobtainable goal for over a year. As turmoil has become the norm, corruption from the top down is rampant as well.

The Foolish, Historically Illiterate, Incredible Response to Obama’s Prayer Breakfast Speech
The Atlantic
By Ta-Nehisi Coates

The Atlantic posted a reaction to President Obama’s recent comment using the Crusades as an example that brutalizing other people is not a Muslim invention, nor is it foreign to the American experience.

Islamic State in Syria seen under strain but far from collapse
Reuters
By Tom Perry and Mariam Karouny

Though ISIS has suffered setbacks after continual airstrikes and failing to beat the Kurds at Kobani, this Reuters special report says the grip on territory they still hold has not loosened.

Blogs:
Helping the Bad Guys in Pakistan by Wajahat Khan
Sri Lankan President Seeks to Refresh Ties to India by Gary Sands
Next Week’s Headlines by Jason Anderson
GailForce: Cyberspace Symposium Part I by Gail Harris
Russian independent media takes on Putin “in exile” by Hannah Gais